A Realistic Amourshipping Story
by MegazardXY
Summary: Ash moves on to defeat the rest of the gyms and is ready to face the Kalos league, and Serena is getting ready to perform in the final showcase competition. As their journey comes to an end, Serena is conflicted about whether or not to confess her feelings to Ash. How will their story pan out? Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, although I often wish I did.
1. Chapter 1: Doubt

**A Realistic Amourshipping Story**

What's up guys, this is my first Amourshipping fanfic and I hope to make it an enjoyable one while remaining realistic. So yeah this isn't a lemon; I just feel like lemons make the characters seem too...well, out of character for my taste. Anyways, I'm completely new to fanfiction writing, although I have read several fanfictions myself. Aside from a few garbage ones, there were several that I really enjoyed, and they've inspired me to write my own. So here I am, writing a story based on what I think the writers would do if they actually decided to break the recurring standard of anti-romance and make Amourshipping canon. Hope you all like it! Please comment about it after you read, I'm totally open to new ideas and criticism of any sort.

Also, I know how irritating it can be when storys are writtin like dis so I'm assuring you right now that I do my very best to keep grammar or spelling errors to a minimum. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Doubt

It's an early, sunny Spring morning on Route 14. Continuing on their way to Laverre City, our heroes are just waking up to another day in the beautiful Kalos region. Clemont is already up making breakfast for the group, and Ash groggily wakes up to the smell of pancakes in the air.

"All right, pancakes! My favorite!" Ash happily exclaimed as he got out of his sleeping bag. He opened his tent flap and breathed in the fresh air, ready for a new day.

Ash's excited cheers had woken up Serena, who smiled as she lay in her sleeping bag. _Classic Ash,_ she thought. _Always lively and high-spirited. And loud._ She chuckled a little to herself at that last thought. She could've stayed there for much longer, thinking about all the things she liked about Ash. But the smell of food coaxed her out of her tent.

Still in her Tyrantrum pajamas, Bonnie was already out of bed, brushing Dedenne's fur. "Good morning, sleepyheads!" she shouted at Ash and Serena.

Pikachu, Fletchinder, and Hawlucha all looked up to greet their trainer. Ash had let them sleep outside of their Pokeballs because they were all feeling kind of down after having to say good-bye to Goodra.

"Hey guys, you all sleep well?" Ash smiled.

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and nodded. "Pika pi!" Fletchinder and Hawlucha both nodded as well, spreading their wings wide.

Ash looked around. "Hey, where's Frogadier?"

As if on cue, Frogadier emerged from some bushes nearby, holding a struggling Chespin in its mouth. "Frog." Frogadier dropped Chespin, who was carrying a big box of macarons. Or, more accurately, a big box of a few macaron crumbs. Chespin burped loudly and blushed, scratching his head sheepishly.

Clemont looked up from the frying pan. "Chespin, this is starting to get out of control! I thought I would have taught you better by now. You have to learn to share. On another note, your battling capabilities will be hindered if you gain too much extra weight."

It was hard to tell if Chespin was listening, because it was laying down on its back with a big smile on its face, rubbing its belly.

Clemont sighed and finished up the last few pancakes. Ash and Bonnie had already started eating by the time he sat down, scarfing down the food at an incredibly fast pace.

As they ate, Serena noticed that Ash was looking a bit down. He had been so happy a moment earlier, but now all of a sudden he looked like something was really bothering him. "Um, Ash...is there something wrong?" Serena looked concerned for him, which was not uncommon of her.

Ash looked down a little. "Yeah. I miss Goodra already. I really wish he could have stayed with us. I felt like I had no time with him at all. It seems like just yesterday that he was just a helpless Goomy who shuddered at the sight of Dedenne." Ash's Pokemon all looked down, suddenly less interested in their food. Everyone sat quietly for a minute, thinking about Goodra.

Clemont broke the silence. "Cheer up, Ash, Goodra's where he belongs. And think about it, Goodra would never have gotten to where he is without your help. You really made a difference in his life, and now he can help others just like how you helped him."

Bonnie chimed in, "Yeah, and maybe we'll see him again sometime!"

"De ne ne!" Dedenne added.

Serena wished she had spoken up sooner to support Ash, but the two blonde siblings had pretty much said it all. _Sometimes I wish it was just me and Ash,_ she thought. Then she quickly scolded herself in her mind, wondering how she could ever think something so selfish. She finished up her food.

Ash looked up. "Thanks, guys. You're right. Instead of getting down on myself I should focus on getting stronger. For Goodra!" He punched the air with enthusiasm, Pikachu imitating him, like they always did. The rest of the group smiled.

Under her smile, Serena felt slightly disheartened. _Still always so focused on Pokemon,_ she thought. _I wonder if Ash is even capable of thinking about anything else._

The group finished their breakfast and began to clean up their camp. Ash glanced at Serena as they were all packing up their tents. _Well she's been awfully quiet lately,_ he thought. _I_ w _onder what's up._

Each trainer recalled their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs and they hit the road. Ash closed his eyes and stretched out his arms. "All right, Laverre City here we come!"


	2. Chapter 2: A Close Call

Hey guys, chapter 2 is out! I wrote this before I posted the first one, 'cause I wanted to see if anyone actually liked it. Since I didn't get any really negative vibes, I'm officially continuing the story. I hope this is long enough, I know the first chapter was a little too brief. If not, let me know in the reviews. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: A Close Call

As the group continues on their walk to Laverre City, our heroes are relieved to see that they have finally made it out of the swamp.

"Ugh, I've got mud all over my shoes!" Serena disdainfully looked down at her mud-covered shoes. "And I think I can feel some mud in my hair too!" She removed her hat and started patting her head, trying to wipe the mud off.

Bonnie laughed. "You're so cute when you worry about you're appearance, Serena!" she said with a big smile.

Ash looked over at her and chuckled. _Bonnie's right,_ he thought. He smiled as he continued walking.

After about 20 more minutes of walking, the usually chipper Bonnie seemed a little out of it for some reason; she was starting to drag her feet behind her as she walked. With an exhausted voice she said, "I'm tired, guys, can we take a break please?"

Clemont slowed down his walk as well. "You know, I think Bonnie is right. A nice little break doesn't sound half bad right now. What do you think, Ash?"

Ash was hesitant to answer because he really, really wanted to get to the city as soon as possible to battle the Fairy-type gym leader, Valerie. But his naturally caring personality put others in front of himself, so he replied, "Sure, Bonnie, we can stop for a little. But not too long, 'cause the sooner we get to the city, the better!" On his shoulder, Pikachu punched the air. "Pika!" he chimed in.

"That's a good idea. I could use a break, but it shouldn't be for too long. I've got many new ideas for some inventions I want to get started on," Clemont said as he sat down and opened up his backpack.

Serena didn't object to the idea either, as she was also physically fatigued. She had also been thinking deeply about many things. Her mind was scattered with thoughts – showcases, her Pokemon, possible costumes for her Pokemon, and of course, Ash. Primarily Ash.

Ash had a lot on his mind as well. As was customary, he was thinking 100% about Pokemon. He thought about which Pokemon he was gonna use against Valerie. This brought him back to the thought of Goodra, which made him sad that he couldn't use Goodra in another gym battle. Although, that thought diminished when he remembered that Goodra would've been next to useless against Fairy types.

Serena sat down next to a tree and glanced over at Ash, who was lying down and looking up into the clouds. She smiled. _He's still just a Pokemon-crazed kid...but...I feel like he could be so much more with just a gentle nudge in the right direction..._ Serena sighed and looked down. _But no one here would be able to help me..._

Bonnie had fallen asleep, along with Dedenne, who was cuddled up against her. Clemont was busy tinkering around with various metal parts and wires. Serena still had mixed feelings about having them around. Sure, they were great fun and useful to have around. On top of that, they had become good friends. But as good-natured as the two siblings were, Serena felt like they were getting in the way of her relationship with Ash. Well, the fantasized relationship. Serena was working on making it a reality, but an oblivious Ash had yet to really notice any of the hints she'd blatantly thrown at him. _Stop being so selfish, Serena. Ash isn't your property,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Dedenne's antennae perk up and small sparks fly from its cheeks. "Ne ne." The tiny electric mouse looked around frantically, clearly sensing something unusual.

Bonnie looked down. "What is it, Dedenne?"

In front of them, a large, black and white striped Pokemon suddenly came rushing out of the brush, its spiky white mane glowing slightly yellow with electricity.

"It's a Zebstrika!" Clemont exclaimed. "Wow, I've never seen one so up close before. Intriguing!"

"So cute!" Bonnie cried out, as she did whenever she saw any Pokemon.

Serena took out her Pokedex. "Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokemon. When this ill-tempered Pokémon runs wild, it shoots lightning from its mane in all directions."

Ash looked at it closely and knit his eyebrows. "Uh, guys, this Zebstrika looks pretty angry. Look, its got sparks flying all around just like how the Pokedex says."

The Zebstrika stared them down for a few seconds, then suddenly burst forth into a sprint straight towards them. It angrily cried out and randomly let loose a few Discharge attacks.

"Uh-oh, watch out guys! Runnn!" Ash yelled, instinctively grabbing Serena's arm as he turned and ran with her. The group started running as fast as they could, with the enraged Zebstrika close behind.

"Dedenne, use Thunder Shock!" Bonnie cried out as she ran, hoping to buy them some time.

Clemont's eyes widened beneath his glasses. "No, Bonnie, don-!"

Too late. "De ne neee!" Dedenne released the best Thunder Shock it could muster straight at the angry Zebstrika.

Zebstrika, completely unfazed by the attack, roared and began to run faster, quickly catching up to the group. Clemont could feel the hairs on the back of his head rise from the electricity close behind him. Panicked, Clemont shouted, "Bonnie, Zebstrika can have the ability Motor Drive! That increases their speed when they get hit by an electric-type move. It turns out this one has it, 'cause now it's running faster!"

"Oops! Sorryyy!"

Ash took a quick look behind him. The Zebstrika was closing in quick. It was only a matter of seconds before it reached Clemont. "Quick, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!", he ordered. Pikachu leaped into the air, his tail glowing white. "Chuuuu-Pika!" He slammed his tail onto the Zebstrika's head with formidable power. He landed back onto his trainer's shoulder and they continued running.

Behind them, the Zebstrika slowed down a bit, but quickly recovered and started running at full speed again. _This isn't good,_ Ash thought. He glanced at Serena, who was obviously running hard, but what was odd was that she seemed to be blushing at the same time. _What the...why would she...never mind,_ _I must be just seeing things._

Zebstrika had now caught up to Clemont, who was hit by a powerful Discharge attack. Bonnie, who was not much further ahead than Clemont, also got zapped. The two siblings cried out and collapsed to the ground.

Ash didn't have to look back to know that they had lost Clemont and Bonnie. He kept a firm grip on Serena's arm, pulling her along as they continued running. Sooner than he had expected, he could feel the sparks flying behind him as the Zebstrika closed in. Without thinking, Ash tackled Serena to the side and they rolled out of harm's way. The Zebstrika couldn't change direction quickly enough and ended up running straight into the swamp, getting its hooves stuck in some deep mud.

Ash opened his eyes. Serena lay on top of him. She opened her eyes and ended up staring face-to-face with Ash. They both blushed and Serena quickly got up, doing her best to brush the dirt off of her skirt. Ash got up with a look of concern on his face and asked, "You alright, Serena?"

Serena smiled that winning smile of hers and nodded. "Yeah, I'm totally fine, thanks to you!" Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

Ash rubbed beneath his nose with his index finger and nodded. "Great! Now, uh, let's go make sure the others are okay." He quickly turned and started running back the way they had ran.

Serena's smile slowly faded as she started to run after him. _Another moment of alone time with Ash. Gone. And it only lasted like 10 seconds._ She sighed and kept running.

Clemont and Bonnie had just gotten up when Ash and Serena got there. Bonnie was quicker than Clemont to recover, having been Nuzzled by Dedenne numerous times already. "Oh boy, that was a rough fall." Clemont adjusted his glasses, then cried out in shock. "Oh, no, my glasses, they're broken!" He walked around like a zombie, clearly disoriented.

"Well that's not good. Let's get you to Laverre City quick, so we can replace 'em!" Ash said.

"Sounds like a good ideaahhh!" Clemont said as he tripped and tumbled to the ground.

"Oh, you're so helpless sometimes, big brother!" Bonnie laughed and started walking.

"Bonnie, need I remind you about all the times I had to help you out?" Clemont replied, his voice sounding exasperated. "Alright, let's just go."

Ash glanced at Serena. No one had noticed, but he had blushed a little bit. He himself didn't really know why he did. Shaking it off, he just started walking. _Gotta focus on my Pokemon,_ he thought. But unlike other occasions, his thoughts somehow kept trailing back to Serena. These moments were brief, but they were significant, because for the first time ever Ash's mind wasn't completely occupied with thoughts of Pokemon.

The group continued on their walk. After about half an hour, they finally reached Laverre City.

Well I hope this was more to your guys' liking. Thanks for all the advice and ideas! Hopefully this was long enough? Or should I still make it longer? Also, I'm still kind of confused about what you guys mean by paragraph writing, because most of the good fanfictions I've read have been formatted the way I'm currently writing (I wrote this second chapter before I even posted the first one, so I didn't feel like going back and changing it). Does it mean I should just start writing in straight up regular paragraphs from now on? Anyways, thanks and expect Chapter 3 in maybe a few hours!


	3. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Reunion

"Finally, we're here!" Ash shouted, punching the air in excitement.

The group walked around a bit, looking at all the houses and buildings. Serena noticed what looked like a big, outdoor stadium. _Or maybe it's a theater for showcases?_ she wondered.

Bonnie turned to face the group. "Okay, I'll go take my big brother to get his new glasses. We'll meet you guys at the Pokemon Center okay?"

Ash replied, "Alright, sounds good to me. Maybe I can train for my gym battle! I saw the Gym earlier and I'm totally psyched!"

Serena blushed, realizing that she would again be alone with Ash in a city.

"Have fun, you two!" Bonnie smiled and laughed. Serena could have sworn she saw a smirk on Bonnie's face. "C'mon, Clemont let's go! Don't fall behind, now!" Bonnie said as she started running off.

Clemont sighed and started running after her. "Wait up, Bonnie! I'm still recovering from that Discharge!"

Ash and Serena both laughed as they watched the two blonde siblings disappear around the corner. After about a minute Ash turned to Serena.

"So, what do you think we should do, Serena?" He looked at Pikachu. "How about you, buddy, any ideas?" Pikachu shook his head.

Serena said, "Well, I thought I saw a place where they hold Pokemon showcases back over there. Maybe we could go and check it out?" She blushed as she talked. _Maybe this can be a real date,_ she thought to herself. _Oh, snap out of it, Serena, don't get ahead of yourself again._

Ash smiled. "Sure, that sounds fun! Although afterward, I kinda need to start training my Pokemon for our gym battle."

 _Of course,_ Serena thought. "Okay, then let's go!" she said, hiding her slight disappointment.

The two of them walked together and arrived at the building Serena had mentioned. They walked inside and entered a huge theater-like facility, with hundreds of chairs in circular rows surrounding a long runway. Serena's eyes gleamed with amazement.

She said, "Wow, this place is huge! And no doubt this is for Pokemon showcases! I wonder if they're going to hold one here soon?"

Ash looked around, equally intrigued. "It does look pretty awesome, doesn't it? And the stage looks like it could be a battlefield, too. I wonder...maybe they also hold contest battles here?"

"Well, I'm impressed you managed to figure that out by yourself, Ash!" said a familiar voice from behind him.

"Huh?" Ash turned around.

A girl with brown hair and blue eyes stood in the doorway. She wore a red shirt and a matching colored bandana on her head. Ash smiled.

"May!" He ran over to her, giving her a brief hug. Serena watched and fidgeted nervously, frowning slightly at the sight of Ash hugging another girl.

"It's been so long, Ash. Hey Pikachu!" May smiled and stroked Pikachu's fur, eliciting an affectionate coo from the little electric mouse.

"May, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be doing contest battles back in Hoenn and Sinnoh?", Ash asked.

"I guess you haven't heard, Ash, but they're going to be holding a Hoenn festival in Couriway Town, and I'm going to be hosting one of the main events there!" May cried out in excitement, her blue eyes shining with delight. Then she turned and noticed Serena. "Oh, who's this, Ash? I don't think we've met before." May extended her hand to Serena.

"Um, hi, I'm Serena, nice to meet you May," Serena said nervously as she shook May's hand. _She's pretty,_ Serena thought.

May sensed that Serena was nervous, although she had no idea why. "Nice to meet you, too, Serena. How long have you known Ash?"

Serena paused for a second. "Um...well..."

Ash interrupted, "Even though I just started traveling with her here in the Kalos region, Serena's known me for about 4 years, May!" He smiled and put his hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Oh, wow, that's so cool! But when did you two meet? I thought your first companions in Kanto were Misty and Brock," said May, who noticed that Serena was blushing. A lot.

"Well, we actually met when we were about 6 years old, at Professor Oak's summer camp! Serena had hurt herself in the woods, so I helped her out," Ash rubbed underneath his nose as he talked, removing his hand from Serena's shoulder.

Serena, still blushing, added, "Yeah, and w-when I saw Ash save Professor Sycamore's Garchomp on T.V., I, uh, knew I just had to come and see him again. And now were traveling together!" She smiled and looked away in an attempt to hide the deep shades of pink on her cheeks.

May began to speculate as to why Serena was nervous. _There must be something that she isn't telling me,_ May thought. She grinned a little. "Aw, that's so cute that you two met up with each other after all those years!" She said with a dazzling smile on her face.

Now it was Ash that started blushing. "Uh, yeah, I guess you could say it like that...so...uh have you caught any new Pokemon, May? It'd be really cool to see 'em!" he said, trying to change the subject. Not that he didn't like talking about Serena, he was just really embarrassed at the moment.

May smiled and grabbed a Pokeball from her waist. "As a matter of fact, I did. I just caught this adorable Pokemon that I plan on using in future contest battles! C'mon out, Spritzee!"

May tossed her Pokeball into the air. After a flash of white light, a small pink Pokemon appeared. "Spritzee!" it cried.

Ash was intrigued. "Wow, a Spritzee! That's a Fairy-type Pokemon isn't it?" He took out his Pokedex. "Spritzee, the Perfume Pokemon. It emits a scent that enraptures those who smell it. This fragrance changes depending on what it has eaten."

May smiled. "Yep, Spritzee's gonna win me my next contest battle! Which happens to be taking place tomorrow, right here, on that stage!"

Ash smiled, looking at his old friend. "That's awesome, May! Glad to see you're still trying to become a top coordinator. And hey, I was thinking...I'm going to be challenging Valerie, the Fairy-type gym leader pretty soon. Maybe you could help us train for it by letting me battle your Spritzee? I'm sure it would help a lot and I would really appreciate it!"

May smiled, happy to be with Ash again. "Sure, I'd be more than happy to. You wanna get started now?" she said, winking.

"You bet I do! And I think I know just who to use," Ash said with confidence, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt.

Serena just stood there, not knowing what to do or think. _Ash seems to really like this May girl,_ she thought. _And not to mention he's traveled with so many other girls on his past journeys...maybe...he already likes someone?_

"Frogadier, I choose you!" Ash shouted, releasing the Pokeball from his hand. In a flash of white light, the Bubble Frog Pokemon appeared, ready for battle. "Gadier!" it shouted, huffing up its chest.

May looked at the Pokemon closely. "Wow, Ash, where'd you get a Pokemon like that? It looks really strong!" She took out her Pokedex. "Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokemon. Its swiftness is unparalleled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time."

Ash beamed with pride. "Frogadier was just a little Froakie when it decided that it wanted to travel with us. I got it from Professor Sycamore in Lumiose City after I saved his Garchomp from falling off of Prism Tower."

"Amazing!" May exclaimed. "I would expect nothing less from you, Ash! But really, jumping off of that tower was really stupid of you, you know that? I saw the news report! If that Mega Blaziken hadn't been there to save you, you wouldn't be here right now!" May's tone was clearly full of concern, and relief.

Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, it may not have been the smartest decision at the time, but I mean it was Pikachu we were talking about, I couldn't have just let him fall!"

May had a stubborn look on her face as she replied, "Well, you know what Ash there are people that care about you and you should've thought of that before you jumped off!" Both Ash and May were starting to get into one of those fights that they used to have all the time back when they were traveling together in the Hoenn region.

 _Gosh, they even fight like a couple!_ Serena thought, starting to feel really sad. _Maybe I should just give up...Ash and May obviously care about each other a lot._

Frogadier and Spritzee both looked at their trainers arguing. They assumed that if they were going to battle anytime soon, it would not be in a friendly atmosphere.

"First of all, it was your Skitty that got in the way of my Corphish, NOT the other way around!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Yeah, well maybe if your Corphish knew how to battle it wouldn't have been as much of a problem!" May retorted, equally as angry.

"You know what, maybe we should have our battle right now and show who's really the better trainer!" Ash was about ready to explode.

"Sounds good to me, but don't get all upset when you lose!" May's face was as red as her clothes with rage.

Right at that moment, Clemont and Bonnie walked into the theater. They were both immediately shocked to see Ash so angry, and they wondered who the girl was. "Um, Ash? Wh-What's the problem here?" asked Clemont, almost afraid to get involved. He hoped Bonnie wasn't scared or anything. He looked to see how she was reacting, but she wasn't by his side. He looked up.

Down on one knee, Bonnie extended her hand towards May, saying, "You're just so beautiful! Please take care of my brother for me! He may not look like much, but he's actually a gym leader and a great inventor!" Immediately, Clemont's Aipom arm grabbed Bonnie and Clemont walked her out of the facility, yelling, "Bonnie, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that? It's just embarrassing!" Bonnie just laughed. "I hope you'll think about it!" she said as she smiled and waved to May, and the two siblings exited the theater.

Despite the intense rage he had been feeling a moment earlier, seeing Bonnie's matchmaking antics made Ash chuckle. Even May, who didn't even know those two people and was obviously very confused at the moment, couldn't help but smile and blush at Bonnie's words. Serena, who had been on the brink of tears, also cheered up. Ash and May looked at each other guiltily.

"Uh, I know I was pretty mad just a moment ago, but um...I'm sorry May. We're friends, and we shouldn't be fighting like this right when we've just reunited," Ash said, feeling a little shameful about what he had said.

"You're right, Ash, and I'm sorry too. I don't know what came over me. It's just like old times, huh?" May said, smiling a little. Ash grinned. "Yeah. You were always so immature back then," he said.

May's smile faded immediately. "Hang on just a minute, Ash Ketchum, who are you calling immature? You're the one who-"

And so, their arguing continued as if they had never apologized. Serena couldn't bear to watch any longer. All this arguing made her think that Ash and May undoubtedly had feelings for each other. She was heartbroken. She got up and sprinted out the door, trying to hold in her tears until she was far, far away from Ash.

So, what'd you guys think? I'm fairly certain that they'll bring May back to the show for a little bit, seeing as how ORAS is out and all that. I'm also thinking that when they do bring her back, she will notice Serena's feelings for Ash and attempt to help Serena, since she's kind of into all that romance, lovey-dovey type stuff. Anyways, leave any advice or comments in the reviews please! I really appreciate it. Thanks! I'm gonna get this fanfic writing stuff down soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Sisters

Hey what's up guys, chapter 4 is out. I've noticed that the number of views is significantly decreasing with each chapter :( although that might just be because this whole story has only been out for a couple days. Hopefully I'm not that bad of a writer, right? I'm still doing my best to make this story better, it's my first story ever so I wanna make a good first impression on you guys. Anyways, enjoy this next chapter! And as always, criticism (and praise) is appreciated!

Chapter 4: Sisters

5 minutes? 10 minutes? An hour? Serena didn't really know exactly how long she had been running, she was too depressed to keep track. The way Ash and May interacted with each other...those were classic signs of love weren't they? She just couldn't keep watching it, she had been too overcome with jealousy. Thinking back on it now, she realized that she had made a huge mistake. _What am I going to do now?_ She thought, starting to feel stupid and hopeless. _Now I might not even be able to travel with him anymore...ugh!_ She fell to her knees, her hands tightly gripped into fists.

Clemont and Bonnie had noticed Serena leave, but May and Ash hadn't, because they were both still flaming with anger. The two siblings decided it was time they broke up the argument.

Clemont spoke up first, with a nervous tone, "Um, guys, I understand that you two apparently still have a lot to...um...talk about, but I really think you should stop, I mean you _are_ friends after all, aren't you? And I don't know if you noticed, but Serena dashed out of here just a moment ago. Any idea why?"

Ash froze in his tracks and looked around. "Wait-What the? Where did Serena go?"

May had seen Serena leave, but she didn't say so. She had a plan in mind. "We should split up and look for her. You guys go that way, and I'll go this way." May pointed the others in different directions. The wrong directions. May knew which way Serena had ran.

Clemont and Bonnie both answered, "Right!" and ran off towards the Pokemon Center. Ash immediately sprinted downtown to try to find Serena. _I sure hope nothing's wrong,_ he thought. _Why would she run off like that?_ His face full of determination, he ran as fast as he could, with Pikachu by his side.

5 minutes? 10 minutes? An hour? May had no idea how long she had been looking for Serena, but she was too giddy with excitement to keep track. _I'm going to get to be a matchmaker!_ She thought to herself as she ran. _Childhood friends...drawn together years later after being apart...here, in Kalos...it's meant to be!_

Serena honestly felt like just sitting there in the middle of the woods forever. She had nowhere to go, and no one to talk to. Well, she supposed had Braixen and Pancham, but this was something they wouldn't really understand. She also didn't want to worry them just yet. Not until she figured out what to do. _But what_ am _I going to do?_ She wish she knew.

"See anyone yet, Blaziken?" May called out to her starter Pokemon, who was jumping from tree to tree, helping its trainer look for Serena. It looked down at May and shook its head, then continued its search. "Hmm," May frowned. "Maybe the others will have better luck."

Just when she felt like getting up and running some more, Serena saw a pretty butterfly Pokemon fly directly above. When it saw her, it turned around and flew away, crying "Beautifly!" as it flapped its colorful wings. Serena was too depressed to pull out her Pokedex, although she really did like the appearance of that Pokemon. Moments later, she was more than shocked to see May running towards her, with that Beautifly on top of her head. Serena got up and tried to keep her cool. _What in the world is she doing here?_ She wondered.

"Hey Serena!" May said with a big smile on her face. _She has such a nice smile,_ Serena thought. _But I wonder why she's acting so cheery. I don't even know her._

"Why'd you run off like that?" May asked. To Serena's surprise, May actually looked genuinely concerned. "Ash is really worried about you, you know."

 _He is?_ Serena thought. _Well, that's nothing special...he cares about everyone._ She looked at May. "Oh," was all she could manage at that moment.

May had a sympathetic smile on her face. "I think I know what's going on, Serena. And believe me, I totally understand!"

Serena was now completely confused. _What is she talking about? She doesn't even know me. Am I that obvious about it...?_ "Um...what do you mean?" She asked.

May replied as if she had read Serena's mind. "Well, you are pretty obvious about it...and I think that's the most adorable thing ever! I think you and Ash would make a great couple. That is, if you ever get through to him," she added, with a slight smirk on her face. Serena didn't know how to react. So May didn't like Ash? Or maybe she did? Was this a trick? _She seems to be honest..._ Serena thought. _I wonder where she's going with this though..._

"I'm totally into romance. Unlike Ash, I understand love when I see it." May laughed as she talked. "Funny how I picked up on it after just a few minutes, where as you've been with Ash for quite a while now and he still doesn't have a clue!"

Although the truth was somewhat depressing, Serena couldn't help but smile. She kind of liked Ash's innocence, in a way. It was cute. But obviously, she definitely wished he'd be more aware of some things. "Yeah...ha ha..." Serena looked down and laughed halfheartedly.

"You know, I didn't come here just to bring you back," May said, her smile still shining.

Still confused, Serena looked at her. "Oh. What-What else did you have in mind?"

May laughed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a pro at matchmaking, and seeing as how dense Ash can be, I figured this case could definitely use my help."

"Wh-What?" Serena was taken aback. "You'd...help me? But I thought..."

May laughed again. "No offense, but you've gotta be crazy to think I like Ash. Sure he's a great friend of mine, and I did think he was really good-looking when I first met him, but he's just not my type. Like I said, I'm a romantic. And, quite clearly, Ash isn't."

Serena stared at her for a second, trying to process everything at once. _Earlier, when I despaired about no one being able to help me...maybe meeting May here...was meant to be,_ she thought, starting to feel hopeful again. A smile started to form on her face.

"I've been waiting for that smile of yours! It's definitely way more attractive than when you're crying," May said. "Now, let's go back. From now on, I'm going to be doing my best to get through Ash's thick skull, without being obvious about it of course." May extended her hand. "Sisters?" She asked, almost sheepishly.

Serena's smile turned back into her usual winning smile, and she looked May in the eye. "Sisters!" She said, shaking May's hand.

The two girls walked back the way they had come. On the way, they talked about what they could do to get through to Ash. It wouldn't be easy, but May was confident she could do it. _It's time Ash grew up a little anyway,_ she thought.

Meanwhile, Ash had been running all over the town, searching frantically for Serena. _Where could she have possibly run off too?_ He wondered. _I've looked everywhere in this direction. I sure hope May found her._

He walked back to the theater, and to his relief, he found May and Serena there, talking to each other. _What a relief,_ he thought. _At least it wasn't something serious._

May and Serena looked up when they saw Ash. "Hey, slowpoke, where have you been? We've been waiting here for almost half an hour," May said. She was lying, of course. She and Serena had gotten there just moments before Ash. But she didn't want Ash to know how far Serena had gone.

"Well, I guess I just got unlucky, looking in all the wrong places," Ash said, grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. Then his face got all serious again. "But, Serena, where did you run off too? You really had me worried there." His face definitely showed that he had been worried.

Serena suddenly realized she had no alibi. "Um...uh...you know, I-"

May interrupted, "She was just looking for the bathroom. It didn't take me very long to find her. Nothing to worry about Ash!" she said with a smile.

Being as dense as he was, Ash bought it. "Well that's a relief," he said, smiling at Serena, blushing slightly. He rubbed underneath his nose as he said, "For a while there I thought you were mad or something."

Serena and May laughed nervously, convincing Ash that nothing bad had happened. Then, suddenly, the door to the theater opened. The three friends looked over to see Dedenne and Chespin, covered in bruises and scratches. The two Pokemon weakly limped inside and collapsed to the ground. Behind Chespin, there was a trail of macaron crumbs leading outside the door and beyond.

Ash, Serena, and May all gasped and rushed over to treat the two beat-up Pokemon. Ash didn't waste any time. "Quick, Fletchinder, go follow that trail and find Clemont and Bonnie!" he shouted as he released the Pokemon from its Pokeball.

"Fletchhh!" Fletchinder quickly flew and followed Chespin's macaron crumbs. Within seconds, it was out of sight.

May was taking care of Dedenne while Serena was cleaning up Chespin. "That was good thinking, Chespin, leaving that trail of macaron crumbs. Although I wish next time you would ask for them first," she said, chuckling a little.

"Pin pin," Chespin grinned weakly, then closed its eyes, clearly more injured than it was letting on.

Ash got up. "You guys take these two to the Pokemon Center. I'll go find Clemont and Bonnie and find out what's up." He turned and started to run for the door.

Serena got up and ran after him. "Wait, Ash! I'm coming with you!" She blushed a little. "Um...their my friends, too!" She wasn't lying, she wanted to save her friends. But this was also a good chance to get some more alone time with Ash. She wasn't going to just let him run off into danger without her.

May watched them leave, smiling. _You know, I've been kind of understating Ash's lack of romantic awareness. He's just plain dumb if he doesn't see how much Serena cares about him._ She chuckled to herself at that thought. Then she came to her senses and scooped up Dedenne and Chespin. She sprinted for the Pokemon Center. _I sure hope they'll all be okay,_ she thought.

Good? Not good? Let me know in the reviews! If it's still too short, tell me. I want to improve as much as possible because I have a great ending in mind and I want to make sure people keep reading. Although, if this story continues to decrease in terms of viewers, I might just bag it and start writing a new story, this time more thought-out and it'll just be better writing in general. Anyways, thanks for reading and expect chapter 5 tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5: I'm With You

What's up guys, I just wanted to say that this story has over 1000 views within 3 days now! Not sure if that's considered good or not, but personally I'm pretty happy. Thanks for reading! I appreciate all the advice and praise. Some more reviews would be greatly appreciated, though. Now, let the story continue...

Chapter 5: I'm With You

"Luxray...use Discharge...one more time..." Clemont commanded, exhausted, as he collapsed to the ground.

Without hesitation, Luxray leaped into the air and launched a powerful Discharge attack towards the huge Pokemon that stood before him.

The electricity zapped its desired target with what looked like a lot of power. Luxray landed next to Clemont and roared loudly. The roar was meant for intimidation purposes, but the truth was Luxray was terrified of his opponent. Incredibly strong, fast as lightning, quick to make split-second decisions...this Pokemon and its trainer were like nothing he had ever battled before.

Clemont looked up. "It's...over...I'm sorry Luxray...I wasn't strong enough..."

Bonnie rushed to her brother's side. "You can't give up yet, brother! We need to hold them off until Dedenne and Chespin come back with the others. They'll be here soon, I just know it!" Bonnie was on the brink of tears, not knowing what to do.

Luxray looked back at its trainer with worry. Then it turned to face its opponent, who did not seem to be injured or fatigued in any way. He roared and ran straight ahead, surrounded by electricity. With all of its might, Luxray leaped straight at its target with the most powerful Wild Charge it could muster...only to be shot down with an immensely strong Flamethrower attack.

Luxray cried out as it fell to the ground. He didn't get back up. Bonnie looked over and her eyes teared up. "You big meanie!" She yelled. "What did we ever do to you?" She yelled angrily. She kneeled down next to Luxray, putting her hand on its fur.

A woman stood on the back of the Pokemon who defeated Luxray. She stood there silently for a few moments, her gray hair blowing in the wind. "Hyper Beam," she commanded.

And then Mega Salamence attacked.

Ash and Serena were running when they heard a loud roar. "That was Luxray!" Ash shouted, and he ran faster, determined to save his friends. Serena was starting to lag behind, still tired from her run earlier.

 _I can't fall behind now,_ she thought. _What would Ash think? I can't show any weakness. Not now._

She pressed on, keeping up with Ash. They ran into a clearing, where Clemont, Bonnie, and Luxray all lay on the ground. None of them looked conscious.

"What the! Who did this?" Ash shouted as he ran and knelt next to his fallen friends. Pikachu tried to help Luxray get back up. Serena followed suit, exhausted. She started treating Bonnie, who didn't seem too badly hurt, thankfully.

Then Ash turned to face a Pokemon he had never seen before. _Or have I seen this Pokemon before?_ He wondered, noticing that it looked awfully familiar. Then he looked up and saw the woman standing on the Pokemon's back. The hairs stood up on the back of his head. _No way,_ he thought.

Hunter J laughed. "Ah, it's great to be out in the open world again. Who knew I could evolve my beloved Salamence, who was already so powerful? The Hoenn region was quite a success. After I stole a Salamencite, my spies overheard your friend with the red bandana talking about you. I followed her here, and as luck would have it, I have found you as well. Now it's time for my revenge."

Ash stood up, boiling with rage. "How dare you attack my friends! If it was me you were after, why didn't you just go for me first?"

J replied, "I took an interest in that boy's Chespin and Dedenne. They are Pokemon that don't appear in any other region as of yet, and a client in Hoenn was willing to pay a hefty price for them. I would've had them if not for this Luxray, who I have now easily defeated. Now it's time for you to hand over your Pokemon, Ash Ketchum. I've waited a long time for vengeance. You don't know how difficult it was to recover from the incident at Lake Valor."

"I don't get it. How did you survive? Uxie and Mesprit both destroyed your ship! You sunk in a whirlpool! There's no way you could've gotten out!" Not only was Ash angry, but he was also starting to get worried. _Hunter J was one of the toughest, baddest criminals I've ever faced. I barely managed to defeat her with the help of many others. How am I going to face her now? And with her Mega Salamence to boot!_

J was done talking now. "Salamence, use Flamethrower. I want my hands on that Pikachu and any other Pokemon he has."

"Not so fast! Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, releasing the Bubble Frog Pokemon from its Pokeball. Frogadier launched a blue sphere of water and it soaked through the Flamethrower attack.

J looked at Frogadier. "Hm. Change of plans. Don't harm them, Salamence. I want all of these Pokemon in good condition when I sell them." She glanced at Luxray, who was still on the ground, completely knocked out. "I guess we'll just have to leave that one here. It's too damaged to do business with." Then, suddenly, she stuck her arm out, and a gadget on her wrist shot a ray of light towards Pikachu.

"No! Pikachu!" Ash cried out.

"Gadier!" Frogadier jumped in front of Pikachu, attempting to block the light with a Cut attack. Instantly, Frogadier fell to the ground, its body encased in stone.

Serena put her hands to her mouth in shock. She was worried about Ash. _I've got to do something,_ she thought. _But if Frogadier couldn't stand up to her, how could my inexperienced Braixen and Pancham do any good?_

Just then, May and Officer Jenny appeared out of the brush. May had Beautifly and Blaziken at either side of her and Jenny was on her motorcycle, with her Manectric beside her. "Alright, I don't know who you are, but you're under arrest for...uh...a lot of things!" shouted Officer Jenny. Two police cars pulled up behind her. 4 men came out of each car, each man holding a Pokeball. They had J cornered.

J's smirk turned into a frown of disapproval. "Well this wasn't part of the plan. Salamence, we're going to have to retreat. For now." Her Mega Salamence roared and flew high into the sky with its large, red wings.

"Not so fast! Manectric, use Thunder!"

Jenny's Manectric leaped into the air and released a powerful Thunder attack at Salamence. Unfortunately, it missed its target. Mega Salamence responded with a Hyper Beam, which hit Manectric directly, causing it to faint. Then Salamence transformed back into its original form as they disappeared over the horizon.

"Manectric!" Jenny cried, rushing to her Pokemon.

Chespin ran to Clemont's side, trying to shake him awake. "Che che!" he cried out, concerned for his trainer.

Dedenne tried to Nuzzle Bonnie awake, but Bonnie was out cold. Luxray was the only who managed to get up, after a police officer treated it with a Revive.

"Just who in the world was that lady?" Jenny asked Ash, who was kneeling and looking down.

Ash slowly looked up. "That's Hunter J. She turns Pokemon to stone, steals them, and sells them. We ran into her multiple times back in the Sinnoh region. We thought we had managed to defeat her, but...I guess she's back. I still don't get how that's possible, though." He put his head in his hands, then remembered something. "Frogadier!" He shouted, getting up and running to his Pokemon's side.

Frogadier was motionless. Ash touched the hard stone where soft, sticky frubbles used to be. Instantly he felt overwhelmingly guilty. _I should've warned him,_ he thought. _I should've been able to protect him. And Clemont. And Bonnie._ He wanted to scream.

Serena knelt beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything; she just looked at him with a worried look in her bright blue eyes. Ash turned around. To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug. "At least you didn't get hurt, Serena. I guess I'm not a total failure..."

Serena blushed and said, "Ash, you're not a failure at all! It wasn't your fault...it..." Then Serena felt a pang of guilt. _This is my fault._ _If I hadn't run off, Clemont and Bonnie wouldn't have gotten into this situation._

It was as if Ash had read her mind. "Well, at the very least don't blame yourself for this, Serena. It's not fair. None of this is fair. I thought we had beaten her!" He cried out in frustration, slamming his fists on the ground.

Now it was May's turn to say something. She walked over and put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, it's ok. You beat her once before, surely you can do it again?" she didn't sound too sure of herself. But seeing her old friend breaking down like this was discomforting. Ash usually kept his cool, no matter what the situation.

Ash looked up. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the support, but...I'm leaving. Now." He got up and started walking away, towards the direction J had flown off. May didn't seem surprised. _Always trying to do it on his own,_ she thought. _When will he grow up?_

Serena grabbed Ash's hand. "No, Ash." she said with a firm voice. Ash turned around, slightly taken aback at Serena's abruptness. "You're not going alone. We're going to wait for Clemont and Bonnie to recover, and then we'll find J as a team. But you are not going out on your own! I would never forgive myself if I..." she stopped. Was she saying too much? She decided she didn't care. "...If I lost you! So promise me you'll take me with you, where ever you go and whatever you do. I'm not being separated from you again!" she hadn't realized it, but she had gradually raised her voice to the point where she was almost yelling. She took a step back.

Ash was shocked. "Serena..." was all he could manage.

He looked into the distance. After about a minute, his mouth curved into a slight smile. "I guess I won't be going anywhere just yet, then." He hugged Serena again, blushing a little. Serena enjoyed the embrace, proud of herself for confessing at least that much to Ash. They let go of each other when Officer Jenny approached them.

"Alright, we're taking your friends to the Pokemon Center right away. You all be careful out here, got it? Don't worry, we'll catch that thief. I'll notify all the other police forces immediately." Jenny recalled her Manectric and drove off.

Ash, Serena, and May all started walking back to the city, none of them saying much. Ash was carrying Frogadier, his face full of concern. Serena looked over at him. _Poor Ash,_ she thought. _He always works so hard...he doesn't deserve any of this._ Exhausted, the three of them arrived at the Laverre Pokemon Center after about half an hour.

Ash put down Frogadier and yawned, stretching his arms. It was getting late. "I think I'll crash for the night. I'm tired from all that running. Oh, and thanks for coming when you did, May. You really saved us back there." He smiled.

May winked. "No problem, I'm always here to get you out of trouble like the good ol' days." She chuckled.

Ash was too tired to argue with her. Besides, May was pretty much right. He did have a nose for trouble. He just shrugged and started walking to the rooms. "'Night May. 'Night Serena," he said as he walked. May noticed that Ash had blushed a little when he said Serena's name. She smiled. "Good night, Ash."

Serena watched him as he walked, smiling and blushing. "Good night," she said.

That's the end of the chapter. You all remember Hunter J right? I know it seems really random, but to me it just seemed sorta fitting with Mega Salamence coming out with ORAS. I know that the show definitely won't do that, but I figured it was a decent idea for the sake of my story so I threw it in. Anyways, what did you think? Let me know in the reviews, even if it's just a quick comment, I read everything. It really helps. Thanks for reading! Chapter 6 is on its way.


	6. Chapter 6: A Dynamic Duo

Chapter 6: A Dynamic Duo

The sun was just starting to rise, coating Laverre City in a bright orange light. Everyone was tired from the run-in with Hunter J the day before, so the morning was a slow one. Clemont, Bonnie, and May had slept all morning, still severely injured from the power of J's Mega Salamence. Unlike their friends, Ash and Serena's morning was very eventful. It started with Ash waking up extra early to train. Serena had gotten up just minutes later to watch him.

"All right, Hawlucha! I think that was your best Flying Press yet!" Ash seemed to be in high spirits, considering one of his Pokemon had just been turned to stone. _I've got to find Hunter J,_ he thought. _She's the only one with the power to transform Frogadier back. But how will I get ahold of her machine? Ugh, this is gonna be harder than I thought!_

Serena sat under a tree, watching Ash's training intently. Well, she was focusing more on Ash himself rather than his Pokemon. She liked the way his messy, black hair stuck out from beneath his hat and blew in the wind. She thought it was cute when he sometimes extended his arm out forward when he gave a command. But somehow, she could tell something was off about him today. On the outside, he seemed just like normal. Happy, energetic, and loud, as usual. But in his eyes, she could see concern. Even sadness, and maybe a little anger. She stood up and walked over to him.

Ash was breathing hard, sweating from all the training. He remembered learning from Sanpei that it was important to not only train your Pokemon, but to train with your Pokemon. He almost didn't notice Serena as she walked up to him.

"Um, hey Ash. Hows...hows your training going?" Serena asked, almost nervously.

Ash closed his eyes for a second. Then he stared at the ground as he said, "Fine. I guess...it's just not the same without Frogadier. As soon as Clemont and Bonnie are better, we're all going to find J. I hate just sitting around while Frogadier sits there encased in stone. It's not right. And I'm just so frustrated!" He was clearly very agitated now.

Serena put her hand on his shoulder. "Ash...I think you need to relax. Frogadier's going to be fine...you're an amazing trainer. I know you'll be able to turn him back to normal. Helping others is what you do best," she said, blushing a little.

Ash looked up at her with a sort of blank stare for a few moments. Then he smiled. "You're right, Serena. I can do it!" He yelled excitedly, punching the air. From the ground, Pikachu did the same. "Pika!" he cried.

Serena smiled, once again admiring Ash's ability to stay on his feet, no matter what situation he was facing. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a battle with you...it'' be a good way to pass the time while we wait! And I know I don't battle very often and I don't want to feel useless the next time we run into trouble like that...so...will you accept?" She asked hopefully.

Ash's looked up, his eyes gleaming with passion. "Sure! How could I say no? It'll be tons of fun!" He said with a smile. Then he said, "But don't ever feel like you're useless, Serena. I know I wouldn't be where I am without you!" he said, rubbing underneath his nose. He walked over a few meters and stood facing Serena.

Whenever his eyes lit up like that, Serena felt butterflies inside her stomach. His mere presence was exhilarating to her. It's something she had been feeling ever since she saw him at the Santalune Gym when he had been battling Viola. She held Braixen's Pokeball in her right hand. "Alright, Braixen, come on out!" She tossed the Pokeball into the air. In a flash of white light, her starter Pokemon appeared before her, ready for battle. Braixen looked around a little and saw Frogadier, and immediately rushed over to the stone statue, her face full of concern.

Ash and Serena both watched, realizing that they had forgotten to tell the other Pokemon about Frogadier. Braixen looked like she was about to cry. Evidently, she seemed to care a lot more about Frogadier than the rest of the other Pokemon did.

Braixen felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face her trainer, a sad look in her eyes. Serena assured Braixen that everything would be okay. "Don't worry, Braixen. Ash is going to find a way to change Frogadier back. We just have to be a little patient, okay?" Serena was doing her best to comfort her.

After a sad nod and a couple tears, Braixen appeared ready for battle. A new look of determination was on her face, probably because she wanted to become stronger. For Frogadier.

Ash looked at Pikachu. "You want this one, buddy?" he asked, with his usual cheery smile. Pikachu nodded with his paw in a fist, "Pika!". Ash leaned in close and whispered, "Try to go a little easy, okay? Braixen's pretty shaken up. She's really worried about Frogadier." Pikachu nodded understandingly.

"You can have the first move, Serena!" Ash shouted.

Serena smiled. "Thank you, Ash. Okay, Braixen, use Flamethrower!"

Braixen quickly shot a powerful flame straight towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, completely relaxed.

Pikachu leaped to the side out of the way of the Flamethrower and instantly darted forward with incredible speed, dashing in zig zags until he slammed head-on into Braixen, knocking her back.

"Braixen! Are you okay?" Serena shouted, worried.

Braixen stood up, weakened from the direct hit. She seemed to be fine. "Okay, Braixen, now get close with Scratch!" Braixen ran at Pikachu, her claws ready to strike. Pikachu instinctively avoided the first few swipes, but eventually Braixen managed to land a hit on him. "Pika!" Pikachu cried out, doing a back flip to recover from being knocked back by the attack.

"Don't stop, Braixen! Use Scratch one more time!" Serena ordered, starting to feel like she was gaining the upper hand.

Braixen moved to attack again, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. Little yellow sparks were covering her body. Ash grinned and adjusted his hat.

"You've forgotten that my Pikachu's ability is Static, Serena. When you make contact with him, there's a chance that it will paralyze you. Turns out that Braixen is paralyzed, so Scratch might not be the best choice of attacks right now." Ash was enjoying the battle for what it was, but he was also enjoying teaching Serena about Pokemon. He loved to help people, particularly her.

Serena frowned a little, planning her next move. Then, she had an idea. "Alright, Braixen use Hidden Power!" she shouted. "Give it your best shot!"

Braixen launched a glowing sphere straight towards Pikachu. Ash calmly started to command a counter, "Pikachu, deflect it with-" but stopped mid-sentence. He just stopped and stared blankly at the sphere heading towards Pikachu. Pikachu looked back in confusion, not used to receiving half a command. He looked back at Braixen and was directly hit with the Hidden Power. Slightly annoyed at Ash, Pikachu looked back at him again. "Pika pi!" he cried, wondering what Ash was doing.

Ash looked down, and images flashed through his brain. He started thinking hard as he recalled numerous memories from the past. Hunter J attacking Melodi's Gardevoir...Drapion attacking his Aipom on the ship...then...

Ash gasped and looked up, "That's it!" he cried out, a big smile forming on his face. "Hidden Power! How could I forget something so obvious! Braixen, you can change Frogadier back by using Hidden Power! I remember now!"

Serena and Braixen both stood there in shock. Braixen smiled and quickly turned to look at Frogadier. She started to run over to him when a huge, long, mechanical arm swooped down and grabbed Frogadier, beginning to pull him up towards an all-too-familiar Meowth balloon.

Ash and Serena both angrily yelled, "Team Rocket!"

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devestation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Hidden Power!"

"Huh?" Jessie and James were both confused.

Braixen wasn't about to wait around for Team Rocket to finish their motto. Not when Frogadier was in danger. She quickly launched a powerful Hidden Power attack skyward.

Angrily, Jessie shouted, "How dare you cut off our beautifully composed motto! Wobbuffet! Send that Hidden Power back to the twerpette!"

"Wahhhhhbuffet!" Wobbuffet obeyed and leaped in front of the balloon and glowed brightly. But Team Rocket was shocked to see that the Hidden Power attack wasn't aimed at them.

The glowing sphere made direct contact with Frogadier, who was still within the mechanical arm's grasp. Instantly, the stone disappeared, and its place was the Bubble Frog Pokemon, flesh, frubbles, and all. Frogadier looked around, clearly confused at to how it got up there. The last it remembered, it was using Cut to block Hunter J's machine. It quickly snapped out of its confusion though, and used Cut to slice right through the arm that was holding it. Frogadier began to fall. Ash, Serena, Braixen, and Pikachu all looked up in horror. "Frogadier!" Ash yelled. He ran forward to try to catch him, but Frogadier was falling too fast. Ash wasn't going to make it.

Right before Frogadier was about to hit the ground, it became cloaked in a purple light, floating in mid-air just above the ground. Then, it slowly descended and landed softly on the ground. The purple light disappeared. Everyone turned to see Braixen lower her stick. "Brai!" she cried out and smiled, running over to Frogadier. She embraced him, making the Water-type Pokemon blush. Ash and Serena sighed with relief.

"That was a close one. It looks like you learned Psychic, Braixen! That's awesome!" Ash shouted.

Serena looked at Braixen and smiled. "Way to go, Braixen! You're getting so much stronger already!"

Braixen smiled back, nodding its head. Then it angrily looked back up at Team Rocket.

"Um, I don't think J will be very happy when we tell her that Frogadier is no longer a statue," James said, with a scared look on his face.

Jessie said, "You idiot, Meowth! Why couldn't you have designed a cage or something, something that would've blocked that Hidden Power!"

Meowth angrily replied, "How was I supposed to know this would happen? Maybe you guys could've helped with the planning!"

James sighed. "Oh well, then it looks like it's come to this. Inkay, use Psybeam on Frogadier!" he shouted, throwing a Pokeball into the air in front of him.

Jessie threw out Pumpkaboo, yelling "Shadow Ball, Pumpkaboo! Teach those twerps a lesson!"

Ash looked at Serena. "You ready?" he asked her, with a determined grin on his face. Serena smiled and replied, "You bet! Let's work together!" she also looked determined.

Ash turned to Frogadier. "Okay, Frogadier, use Aerial Ace to dodge that Psybeam, and aim for Pumpkaboo!"

Frogadier leaped up and seemed to slice through the air as he darted in zig zags, perfectly using Aerial Ace to dodge the incoming Psybeam. Then, quick as lightning, he dashed straight towards Pumpkaboo, landing a direct hit.

"Inkay! Use Psybeam again!" Inkay obeyed and fired a Psybeam attack at Frogadier, only he didn't miss this time. Frogadier started plummeting towards the ground.

"Braixen! Use Psychic on Frogadier again!" Serena shouted.

Braixen held up her stick and caught Frogadier with a force of psychic power. Frogadier landed smoothly.

Ash turned to Serena. "Hey, thanks!" he said, smiling.

Serena blushed. "No problem, you're the one out there doing the damage, Ash" she said, then turned to face Braixen. "Okay, Braixen, let's take out Pumpkaboo with Flamethrower!"

"Not so fast! Wobbuffet, I need you!" Jessie said, and Wobbuffet instantly dashed in front of Pumpkaboo and used Mirror Coat.

The Flamethrower attack bounced harmlessly off of Wobbuffet and headed back towards Braixen. "Oh no!" cried Serena.

Ash adjusted his hat. "Frogadier, put out that fire with Water Pulse!" he commanded.

Frogadier launched a bright blue sphere towards the searing flames. The two attacks exploded upon contact. "Thanks, Ash!" Serena said, smiling

"Okay, Pikachu, now it's your turn. Finish them all off with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Piiika...Chuuuu!" Pikachu fired a devastating Thunderbolt at a helpless Team Rocket. Jessie, James, and all of their Pokemon were zapped by the powerful electricity and were sent flying into the air. Another traditional ending to their schemes.

"We're blasting off againnnn!" They shouted. In the distance, you could faintly hear Wobbuffet chiming in. Then they disappeared into the clouds.

Frogadier and Braixen looked at each other and smiled, both blushing slightly. Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder. Serena and Ash turned to face each other, each could've sworn that the other was blushing.

"You were great, Serena!" Ash said. "With us working together like that, no one can stop us!" He smiled with enthusiasm.

Serena was now clearly blushing when she said, "Yeah, and you were amazing, too, of course!" She had that dazzling smile of hers on her face. "I guess we'd never realized how good of a team we make!"

Ash rubbed underneath his nose. "Yeah, that was something else, wasn't it? That-" Ash was interrupted by his stomach growling. He looked down at it in embarassment. "Uh, I guess we were so busy battling that I forgot I hadn't eaten breakfast." He chuckled.

Serena laughed, which made Ash smile. She said, "Why don't we go get breakfast somewhere in town? I think we've eaten enough Pokemon Center food for a while, now." Her blush deepened.

"Sounds great!" Ash said, excited at the thought of food. "Let's go!"

Ash and Serena walked into town together. Neither one of them could stop smiling.

And that's the end of the chapter. A little FrogadierxBraixen shipping for you (does it have an official name?). What'd you guys think? Please review! I can't stress enough how much I appreciate it. Chapter 7 is on its way!


	7. Chapter 7: To the Kalos League!

Hey what's up guys, I know this is kind of long but I would really like to say a few things before you read this chapter. I've decided that this story isn't good enough to continue. I understand that some of you may like it, but I've kind of messed up. I don't have much material, and what I've done so far has dug some holes that I won't be able to get out of. I didn't really think it through at all, I kind of just rushed through chapter by chapter thinking of ideas off the top of my head and typing them up. The only thing I sort of knew I what I wanted to do for was the ending, so what I'm going to do is skip the next 3 gym battles and head straight to the Kalos League, where I will end the story with one or two more chapters. I will most likely write another Amourshipping story at some point in the future, this time actually planning it out and taking the time to make it good. In the meantime, I'm going to write a Pearlshipping story and maybe an Advanceshipping one, since I'm a fan of them all (although Amourshipping is my favorite). I hope you guys are alright with this, and anyways enjoy the rest of the story!

Chapter 7: To the Kalos League!

It's noon in Laverre City as our heroes resting in the Pokemon Center are beginning to wake up, recovered from the injuries they had suffered during the encounter with Hunter J. Ash and Serena were returning from their late breakfast in town as the rest of the group was finishing up their own breakfast. The two of them walked into the Pokemon center, both smiling. Bonnie was the first to greet them.

"Hey, guys! Where have you two been?" she said with a slight smirk on her face. Judging simply from her demeanor, you would have never known that Bonnie had just gotten hit by a Hyper Beam from a Mega Salamence the night before.

Serena blushed. "Oh, um, we just went out to get breakfast. We kind of had an eventful morning..." she turned and smiled at Ash knowingly.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, we found this awesome cafe and they had the best crescents I've ever had! Man, the food here in Kalos is just great!" he said cheerfully, with his usual big smile on his face. Food was a subject to which Ash always had something positive to contribute.

"Wow, you guys are lucky. I wanted to go look for you and join you guys, but Clemont made me stay and eat here!" Bonnie pouted, shooting a glare at her older brother, who was sitting at a table tinkering with some sort of mechanical device.

Clemont looked up from his work and sighed. "Bonnie, I told you already; it's not safe to wander about by yourself. And I was just too tired to go with you. Next time, we can all go somewhere nice to eat. Now can you please just drop it?"

May stood up and laughed a little. "You guys kind of remind me of myself and my little brother, Max. We used to always argue while we were traveling together in the Hoenn region with Ash." She walked up to Bonnie and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know he seems to be overprotective, but try to understand Bonnie; in the end he's just looking after you, is all." She smiled.

"Wow, when did May suddenly become so mature and wise?" Ash said, his smile indicating that he was only joking and wasn't looking for an argument.

May rolled her eyes. "Alright Ash, let's have that battle now, shall we? I think it's time you saw how I've really grown as a trainer."

Ash's eyes lit up. "Now you're talkin'! Pikachu, you ready, buddy?" he turned his head to face his electric partner.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu made a fist and had a determined look in his eyes.

Serena smiled. She loved it when Ash's eyes lit up like that, always finding it difficult to speak to him when his face was so full of emotion and passion.

The group walked outside the back entrance of the Pokemon Center, where a small battlefield awaited them. Ash and May stood on opposite sides, each of them smiling and ready for a good battle.

"Okay, Spritzee, come on out!" May shouted, releasing her Fairy-type Pokemon from its Pokeball. Spritzee emerged in a flash of white light with style and grace, just like a contest-oriented Pokemon would.

"Alright, Pikachu, make sure you pay close attention to Spritzee's fighting style. I'm willing to bet the gym leader has a Spritzee as well, or maybe even an Aromatisse. This is our chance to learn how to beat 'em," Ash said.

"I'll be the judge of this match," said Clemont, standing in the middle of the sideline. But then Bonnie spoke up, "No, Clemont, I wanna do it! Please let me?" she begged.

Clemont smiled and said, "Okay, Bonnie, just remember to be fair, and don't distract the battlers!"

May said, "You ready, Ash? I won't go easy on you!" she taunted.

Ash grinned and replied, "Been ready, May. I've been waiting on you!"

May wasn't about to waste any time. "Okay then, Spritzee, let's go first. Open up the stage with Echoed Voice!" she commanded.

Spritzee opened its mouth and shot powerful sound waves toward Pikachu. "Just let it hit you, Pikachu!" Ash ordered. Pikachu stood its ground against the attack, getting a feel for its power. After the attack passed, Pikachu seemed to be fine.

"Hmm, not much going with that move. Let's hit 'em with a Thunderbolt now, Pikachu!" Ash said.

Pikachu leaped into the air and launched a powerful Thunderbolt straight at Spritzee. "Dodge it, Spritzee!" May cried, knowing full well that Pikachu's Thunderbolt was definitely a tough one.

Spritzee tried to get out of the way but was too slow to avoid the devastating electricity. Thunderbolt hit Spritzee directly, surrounding it with yellow sparks as it cried out in pain.

Ash grinned. _This is too easy,_ he thought.

"Spritzee, are you okay?" May asked, her voice full of concern. Spritzee responded in the affirmative. "Spritzee!" it cried, not willing to give up just yet.

"Pikachu, let's end this quick. Use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered. _We've got this in the bag already,_ he thought.

On the sidelines, Clemont nodded, saying, "That's a good choice. Steel-type moves are super-effective against Fairy-type Pokemon. It looks like this hit will be the finishing blow."

Pikachu leaped into the air again, his tail glowing bright white.

May smiled. "Not so fast, Ash. Spritzee, use Fairy Wind to blow Pikachu back!"

Spritzee sent hundreds of small silver particles at Pikachu, sending him flying backward. "Pikachu's helpless in the air when I've got Fairy Wind blowing you back, Ash!" May gloated, enjoying the battle with her old mentor.

"So pretty!" Bonnie exclaimed, entranced by the beautiful Fairy Wind.

"That's my little coordinator's touch!" May said.

Ash was taken aback. He had been so sure of victory just moments earlier. He smiled, his brain already formulating a plan. "Looks like this battle might be tougher than I thought, May. I'm impressed. Pikachu, let's get close with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu immediately began to dash in zig zags towards Spritzee. Within seconds, Pikachu was right in front of Spritzee.

"Blow it back with Fairy Wind again, Spritzee!" May shouted, starting to get worried.

Ash adjusted his hat. "I was waiting for that! Pikachu, hold your ground with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail glowed white again, but this time he stuck it into the ground beneath him. The Fairy Wind attack was doing damage, but it wasn't much; and more importantly Pikachu wasn't going anywhere now. May gasped.

Serena smiled, finding herself amazed with Ash's battling prowess yet again. _He really is something else,_ she thought.

The Fairy Wind faded away, and Ash seized the opportunity. "Now, hit the real target!" he shouted.

Pikachu dislodged its tail from the ground and slammed it into Spritzee with lightning-quick speed.

Spritzee cried out and fell backward. It didn't get up.

Bonnie stepped into the battlefield, her hand raised up high. "Spritzee is unable to continue, so Pikachu is the winner!"

Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder, not too fazed from the battle. "Good job, buddy," Ash said, petting his partner's head affectionately.

May recalled Spritzee. She looked up at Ash. "I guess this is why I'm more of a contest battler," she said, smiling. "You're still strong as ever, aren't you?"

Ash smiled back. "Yep, what else do you expect from a future Pokemon master?"

As she watched the two friends talk, Serena felt a twinge of jealousy. She couldn't help it, even though she had heard May herself say that she didn't like Ash in that way. _Snap out of it, Serena,_ she thought. _Ash will be yours, he's going to get the hints, May's going to help, we're gonna get married and I'm going to wear that beautiful dress I saw in Coumarine City, and-_

"Serena?"

Serena looked up, and saw Ash looking at her with concern. "Serena?" he repeated. "You alright?"

She snapped back into reality. _Darn it, Serena. Stop getting ahead of yourself._ "Um, yeah! I'm just fine. Don't worry about me!" she tried to sound convincing, when really her mind was ridden with questions and concerns.

– –

"Alright, Fletchinder, let's end this with Flame Charge! Full power!" Ash shouted.

Fletchinder became surrounded by bright orange flames and dashed straight towards Spritzee, smashing into it with full force. Spritzee cried out and landed on its back, knocked out.

The referee raised his flag. "Spritzee is unable to battle, which means the winner is the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Valerie looked down at her Spritzee and smiled. "You did well, Spritzee. Take a nice, long rest," she said as she recalled her final Pokemon. "Congratulations, Ash. You are indeed very strong, and deserving of the Fairy Badge. Good luck on your future gym battles, and in the Kalos league beyond!"

Ash happily accepted the badge and looked at it. He glanced over at the others, who were cheering for him, especially Serena. He smiled at them. "Alright, I got the Fairy Badge!" he shouted, doing his usual celebratory pose with his Pokemon, holding the badge up high.

Ash and his friends continued their journey through the beautiful Kalos region, encountering several new kinds of Pokemon and meeting up with rivals all over. Unfortunately, May had to leave for Hoenn after the festival. Ash obtained the Psychic Badge and the Iceberg Badge from their respective gym leaders after training long and hard with his Pokemon, including his newest member, Noivern, who evolved from an inexperienced Noibat. He also asked Professor Oak to call back his Charizard, who was successfully able to Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard (Y) and played a vital role in his last gym battle. The group excitedly finds their way at the Kalos League, where the strongest trainers from all over the world will come to Kalos and compete in.

Our heroes are now walking on Route 21, on their way to the Kalos League. Ash had just stopped by a Move Tutor who was able to teach his Noivern Draco Meteor, the most powerful Dragon-type move. He is now more excited than ever to compete.

 _Ash is so psyched. He's so close to fulfilling his dream...or at least taking a big step towards it. If he wins the League, or even if he loses though...he'll be leaving for his next adventure..._ Serena thought. She had been having mixed feelings about their journey coming to an end. She had her final Showcase competition coming up, just a day before Ash's Kalos League Final, if he made it that far. _I'll tell him how I feel after I become Kalos Queen. That should really get his attention, and maybe he'll realize that he feels the same!_ She thought optimistically. _But now, it's time to focus on my own dream._

Ash glanced over at Serena as they walked. He had also been having conflicted feelings about leaving Kalos. Clemont and Bonnie, he understood that they had to stay here. Clemont had a gym to tend to, and Bonnie was too young to go anywhere. But for some reason, he felt especially sad at the thought of leaving Serena. He decided not to think about it too much. _I've said good-bye to many friends in the past,_ he thought. _This won't be any different._ He knew he wasn't convincing himself very well, but he tried to focus on his goal. _The Kalos League. Another chance for me to take a big step towards becoming a Pokemon Master._

That's the end of the chapter. Like I said earlier, there will be probably be two more chapters to end the story, since I think my ending is at least pretty decent. Feel free to review, and after this story is over I hope you will stay tuned for my Pearlshipping story, and future stories to come. Thanks for reading guys, I really appreciate it! Expect the next chapter in a few days.


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets

Hey, guys, here's Chapter 8, although I have some bittersweet news. I've decided to save my good ending for my future Amourshipping story, since I want that one to be my best one. I still have a pretty decent ending in mind for this story, though, so don't give up on this story just yet! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 8: Secrets

The gang has finally arrived at the Pokemon League, where Ash will compete in the Kalos League. The first match starts in the afternoon, and our heroes have an hour to kill before then. Ash is excited as ever, and Serena is ready for her final Showcase competition that will decide the new Kalos Queen.

"Man, I can't wait for my first battle! I wonder if I'll be battling anyone I know..." Ash said, who could hardly contain his excitement.

Serena smiled, once again enjoying Ash's high-spirited company. But underneath her smile was an overwhelming feeling of melancholy. _In just a few days...I won't be with Ash anymore,_ she thought.

Bonnie looked over at Serena and could somehow tell that something was wrong. After all, the young blonde had seemed to mature a lot over the course of their journey...certainly a lot more than Ash had, that's for sure. _I'll ask her about it later,_ she thought.

Ash sat down, his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. "So what do you guys wanna do while we wait?" he asked the group.

Clemont was busy working on an invention. "I think I'll be content for the next hour just sitting here. I need to work on this new invention I've come up with."

Bonnie didn't really wanna do anything, either. "I'm kind of tired...I think I'll just brush Dedenne and the rest of my brother's Pokemon."

Serena got up. "I was going to practice my performance. Would you like to watch me, Ash?" she asked casually, blushing a little.

Ash smiled. "Sure! It's always awesome seeing you perform, Serena," he said. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, nodding in agreement.

Serena and Ash spent the next hour outside together, talking about performances and Pokemon battles. Eventually, one subject led to another, and they ended up talking about the future.

"You know, I'm not so sure what I'm going to do after the Kalos League is over," Ash said. "I mean, I'll go home of course to see my Mom and all my Pokemon, like I always do after a journey. But after that, I mean...I'm pretty lost, you know?" he looked up into the sky, thinking hard.

Serena started to get a little nervous. The future was a subject she had been wanting to steer clear of, but now she realized that she was just trying to avoid the inevitable. _Should I tell him what I want?_ She wondered, not knowing what to say.

Ash looked at her. "So...what are _you_ planning on doing after you become Kalos Queen?" he asked with a playful smile.

Serena blushed. "I mean, after this showcase is over...well I guess it kind of depends on whether I win or not. If I win, then I think I'll have an obligation to stay here in Kalos...and just do...well, Kalos Queen stuff I guess."

Ash nodded, his face almost expressionless. _That's not like him,_ Serena thought. _Is he...disappointed?_

Clemont and Bonnie walked outside and saw Ash and Serena talking. They walked over to them. "Just wanted to let you know Ash, your first match starts in fifteen minutes. I think it's time we started heading over to the stadium," Clemont said.

Ash got up, a big smile on his face. "Alright! Let's do it!" he shouted. He walked past Serena, not saying anything in response to what she had just said earlier. Clemont followed Ash, adjusting his backpack as he walked in.

Serena looked a little hurt. Bonnie noticed this and decided that this was the right time to talk to her. "Hey Serena...is something wrong?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't intruding on her privacy.

Surprised to hear such a question from Bonnie, Serena hesitated before answering. "Well...kind of...it's complicated. You probably wouldn't understand," she said, looking at the ground.

Bonnie smirked. "I think I'll understand, Serena. The question is: will Ash?" she chuckled a little to herself.

Clemont was just about to call the girls when Ash asked him to talk in private. He nodded, slightly puzzled. _Since when did Ash exclude others from conversations?_ He thought.

Ash shuffled a little bit. "So, uh...our journey is pretty close to meeting its end," he said, looking at the ground.

Clemont nodded sadly. "Yeah, I guess it is...it was fun, though, wasn't it? I know I had a great time. And not to mention all that I've learned...from you, from my Pokemon, and – I can't believe I'm saying this – my sister. It's been a great experience for me."

Smiling, Ash nodded. "Yeah, you bet! I've traveled to so many different regions, but Kalos really stood out for me." his smile faded and he looked back at the ground. "But...I don't know why but I'm gonna have a hard time saying good-bye to you guys. And, no offense, but I'm especially going to have trouble leaving Serena..." he blushed a little at that last comment.

"I see," Clemont said, pushing up his glasses. "So my suspicions were correct. You've developed an infatuation with her!" he playfully accused, pointing his finger toward Ash.

This brought a smile to Ash's face. "Maybe you're right, Clemont. I honestly can't tell you; I don't know the first thing about girls," he said.

Clemont nodded understandingly. "And I can't deny that I don't know much about girls, either, Ash. But I do know one thing: Serena definitely likes you. And I mean more than a friend."

Ash's eyes lit up. "How do you know? Did you use some sort of Clemontic Gear? Man, science is so amazing!" he said, his eyes shining. To his confusion, Clemont shook his shead.

"Actually, I didn't use any technology to figure this one out. I know, shocking, huh?" he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I just sort of gradually noticed the hints that Serena, well...throws in your face. And I noticed that they seemed to bypass you completely," Clemont chuckled a little bit to let Ash know that he wasn't trying to insult him.

Ash was about to reply when Bonnie called them over: "Hey guys! Let's get going! You don't want to be late, do you?" Bonnie's voice was energetic as always.

Ash and Clemont both sighed. Before they started to leave, Clemont said, "You know, Ash, I'm going to tell you my opinion. I think that after the league is over, and when you're at the airport...you should consider buying two tickets. And that's all I'm going to say for now." He walked out of the Pokemon Center, following Bonnie's excited voice.

Ash stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the floor. He thought deeply about what Clemont had said. _He's not seriously saying...that I take Serena with me to Kanto...is he?_ He shook his head, shaking all the thoughts out. _I've gotta stay focused._ He walked out of the Pokemon Center where the others were waiting for him.

The group started their walk to the League, with a slightly uncomfortable air about them, with the exception of Bonnie's demeanor. Ash and Serena tried to resist glancing at each other, afraid that the other might notice. After 10 minutes, they arrived at the stadium, where Ash's first battle was to take place.

They had arrived just in time for Ash to register. After about half an hour, everyone gathered around a large television screen to get a first look at the bracket.

All the pictures of the registered trainers flew onto the screen in an orderly fashion. After all the pictures were laid out into pairs, Ash saw that he was paired with a black-haired boy wearing a black-and-yellow cap backwards. He looked about the same age as Ash.

"Hey, that's pretty sweet, I get to battle Ash Ketchum!"

Ash turned around to see the very boy matched up with him on the screen. "Uh, how do you know who I am?" he asked.

The boy smiled. "By now, I think almost everyone knows who you are, Ash. I don't think anyone else can say that they jumped off of Prism Tower after saving a rampant Garchomp!"

Several heads turned to see Ash, and whispers could be heard flying through the crowd.

Serena smiled. "Well, it looks like you're somewhat of a celebrity, Ash!" she said, blushing a little. As she said this, the boy stepped up and stuck out his hand toward Ash.

"My name's Jimmy. It's cool to finally meet you, Ash. And I'm guessing this is your girlfriend?" he asked, nodding towards Serena, who instantly looked away and blushed, pretending not to hear.

Ash shook his hand, instantly liking this guy. "It's nice to meet you, too, Jimmy. And uh, well...no it's not quite like that," he said, blushing.

Jimmy nodded, but didn't seem convinced. "I see. You're in denial. Don't worry, I've been there before," he said as he turned and started walking away. "Good luck, Ash! I'll see you on the battlefield!" he said, waving.

Ash watched him leave, his cheeks still a bright shade of red. He saw Jimmy hugging a blue-haired girl amidst the crowd. Then he turned to face Pikachu. "You ready, buddy? I have a feeling that Jimmy's strong, so let's give it our all!" he said, punching the air in excitement. Pikachu mimicked Ash. "Pika!" he cried, clearly just as psyched as Ash was.

Serena was still blushing as she smiled at the sight. _He's so determined to win,_ she thought. She looked away. _I want to win, too, but...maybe if I don't...I might be able to stay with Ash..._

Half an hour later, the preliminary matches had begun. The announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium, which was completely full of cheering spectators. "Next up, we have Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town versus Jimmy from New Bark Town! Both of these trainers have traveled from far away to be here, so we can expect great things from them! Let the battle begin!

– –

Sorry if it feels like I'm rushing the story. I just didn't like the way the whole thing turned out. But hopefully you guys will keep reading, I really appreciate it. And as you can probably tell, I don't often forget past characters, even if they were insignificant like Jimmy. I liked Jimmy a lot, cause he reminded me of Ash. Plus, I really liked him and Marina, it was perfect. Anyways, thanks for reading and the next chapter will likely conclude this story.


	9. Chapter 9: One Choice

Hey guys, what's up. I've decided to write this chapter, then cap the story with an epilogue afterwards. And yes, I did change my account name, because I realized that I love all the shippings in Pokemon, and to call myself by Amourshipping alone would be unfitting (even though it is my favorite). Well, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 9: One Choice...

The crowd cheered loudly for Ash and Jimmy as the battle was about to begin. Both trainers adjusted their hats with faces full of determination. They were, after all, alike in many ways.

Ash grinned, pulling out his first Pokeball, enlarging it. "Let's start this battle with speed. "Hawlucha, I choose you!" he cried, throwing the Pokeball with enthusiasm. Hawlucha appeared in a flash of white light, spreading its wings out wide. "Chaa!" it cried, ready for battle.

Jimmy took out his first Pokeball. "Speed, huh? Well, we've got plenty of that for ya! C'mon out, Beedrill!" he threw the Pokeball into the battlefield. Out from it emerged a tough-looking Beedrill. Ash gasped when he saw a Mega Stone attached to Beedrill's stinger.

"I see, so you can Mega Evolve! That's awesome!" Ash shouted across the battlefield to Jimmy. The two of them were already becoming friends.

"Yeah!" Jimmy said. "I've trained Beedrill since it was just a little Weedle. We've come a long way, and it's time to claim victory!" he punched the air with excitement.

Ash nodded. "Alright, then, let's cut to the chase. Hawlucha, let's open with Hi Jump Kick!" he commanded.

Hawlucha dashed towards Beedrill with incredible speed, his leg glowing with strength. When he attempted to strike, however, Beedrill seemed to almost teleport out of the way. "Wow," Ash said, "That Beedrill's pretty fast. And it's not even Mega Evolved yet..."

Jimmy smiled with confidence. "Nice dodge, Beedrill! Now let's counter with Pin Missile!"

With incredible speed, Beedrill flew higher into the air and launched a powerful Pin Missile attack at Hawlucha, hitting it directly.

"You okay, Hawlucha?" Ash shouted. Hawlucha stood up, looking almost completely unfazed.

"Pin Missile landed a direct hit, but it's not very effective against a Flying AND Fighting type like Hawlucha. This battle is going to be interesting folks; neither side has any really effective moves to use against their opponent!"

"Hawlucha, use Flying Press! Try to predict where Beedrill's going to dodge!" Ash shouted.

 _What's he up to?_ Jimmy thought. "Just try to dodge it like normal, Beedrill! I know you can do it!"

Hawlucha flew high up into the sky, posed, and came down spinning towards Beedrill. Beedrill tried to dodge to the left, but Hawlucha caught him out of the corner of its eye and managed to hit Beedrill with one wing.

 _It's not good enough,_ Ash thought. _Flying Press is just too slow. And I don't have the heart to command Hawlucha to skip the pose..._

From the stands, Serena had her hands wrapped up in front of her with worry. _C'mon Ash,_ she thought. _Figure something out. You can do it._ She hadn't noticed at the time, but a girl with blue hair sitting next to her was looking at her.

"Beedrill, use Agility! Let's get even faster!" Jimmy shouted. Beedrill seemed to dance as it spun around through the air, gaining more momentum every second.

"Hawlucha, return!" Ash said as he recalled Hawlucha back into its Pokeball. "You did well, Hawlucha, but I'm gonna need you for later," he said as he selected his next Pokemon. "Alright, Fletchinder, I choose you!"

In a flash of white light, Fletchinder emerged from its Pokeball, crying, "Fletchhh!" as it spread its wings.

Jimmy adjusted his hat. "Hmm. Okay. Then I guess it's time!" he smiled, and pulled down his sleeve, revealing a Keystone. "Beedrill! Mega Evolve!"

Streams of light emerged from the Keystone and met with the streams of light being emitted from Beedrill's Mega Stone. They fused together, and the "ooh's" and "ahhs" could be heard from the crowd.

"Stunning!" the announcer said. "Jimmy's Beedrill is now Mega Evolving! What a sight to behold in a battle like this!"

The light slowly faded, revealing Beedrill's Mega Evolved form. Its main stinger had grown longer, and it had four arms now instead of just two. Its two wings had changed shape slightly; they now looked more aerodynamic, more intimidating. Ash stared in amazement. "Wow, your Mega Beedrill is pretty cool, Jimmy!" Ash exclaimed.

Jimmy gave him a thumbs-up, saying, "You bet! We trained long and hard for this! Now, Beedrill, let's go!"

The battle raged on, both Fletchinder and Beedrill using their incredible speed to try to beat the other. Ash was having Fletchinder primarily use Flame Charge in an attempt to catch up to Beedrill in terms of speed, but Beedrill's Agility kept making that very difficult. Ash gritted his teeth, frustrated. The type match up was in his favor, but it seemed like no matter what Fletchinder did, Beedrill was always a step ahead.

Serena was still holding her hands close to her heart, silently praying that Ash would win. The girl sitting next to her spoke up, saying, "I can tell you're really fond of Ash," with a friendly smile.

A little startled, Serena turned to her right to face a pretty, blue-haired girl. The girl smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Marina, it's nice to meet you. I was just taking note of how much you care about that boy Ash," she said casually.

Serena was taken aback. _How did she figure that out?_ "Um, I'm Serena...it's nice to meet you, too. "But, uh...how did you know how I feel about Ash?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, it's obvious. I also just have a knack for sniffing out romantic interests. I managed to get Jimmy to admit his feelings for me a while back," she said, blushing a little as she looked out into the stadium. "I knew he had a crush on me...and I've always liked him back, to be honest. And now, we're like a couple almost..." she smiled, then turned back to Serena. "So are you and Ash a couple, then?"

Serena sighed. "Well, not quite...I've had the biggest crush on him for the longest time, but he doesn't seem to notice me as anything more than a friend." She looked at the ground sadly, wondering if Ash would ever realize just how crazy about him she was. "I doubt he'll ever realize..."

Marina had a sympathetic look on her face. "Well, I obviously don't know you at all, Serena...but I think you're a really nice girl and Ash would totally be into you...if he was just more mature. Maybe you should do what I did...I always teased Jimmy about him liking me. He would always blush and deny it, but I knew what he was thinking," Marina spoke as if she really cared. Serena appreciated that.

"I'm not sure if I can do that...it would seem weird after all this time if I just suddenly started acting like that..." Serena said, unsure of what to think now. "Also, that just doesn't seem like me..."

Marina nodded understandingly. "Well, Serena, I'm sorry things haven't worked out so far. But you never know; he might just be bottling up his feelings right now because he doesn't know how to express them. Maybe if you come forth first, he'll fully realize those feelings."

Serena was about to reply when the announcer's voice blared, saying, "Now what's happening here, folks? I think we're all witnessing another evolution! It seems that Ash's Fletchinder is evolving!

The crowd cheered as Fletchinder glowed bright white, its figure growing larger. Its wings spread wider, and its talons grew larger and sharper. "Talonnn!" it cried out as it emerged from the blinding white light.

Ash's eyes gleamed, entranced by his awesome new Pokemon. "Great, you evolved into Talonflame!" he shouted, now more pumped than ever.

Clemont and Bonnie cheered from the crowd. "Alright, Ash, you got this now!" Clemont shouted. "Talonflame is so cute!" Bonnie chimed in.

Ash adjusted his hat. "Okay, Talonflame, use Steel Wing!" Talonflame's wings glowed white with metallic power and it charged at Beedrill. Beedrill was unable to dodge Talonflame's newfound speed and it was sent flying back. Jimmy gasped, yelling, "Beedrill!"

Then, without command, Talonflame charged straight toward Beedrill again head-on, reaching incredible velocity as it slammed into Beedrill again, knocking it out. "Whoa, that was Brave Bird, wasn't it, Talonflame?" Ash exclaimed. His Pokemon nodded at him and landed on the ground, spreading its wings in triumph.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Talonflame is the winner!" the referee announced. The crowd cheered, and Ash smiled. Jimmy recalled Beedrill. "You battled well, my friend. Now get a good rest," he said. He looked up, enlarging his next Pokeball.

"Ash is pretty strong," Marina said. Serena nodded in agreement, her eyes shining a little. "Yeah, he never ceases to amaze me on the battlefield. And he never, ever gives up..." she looked at him. To her surprise, he looked up back at her. They made eye contact for a few seconds, both smiling at each other. Then he turned away back to face the battlefield. Did he rub underneath his nose? Serena couldn't tell.

Jimmy sent out his Typhlosion. Ash decided to keep Talonflame in.

Clemont shook his head. "Talonflame looks too tired to put up its best fight. And that Typhlosion looks like a really tough one."

Suer enough, Jimmy's Typhlosion ended up knocking out Talonflame with just a single Flamethrower attack. Talonflame crashed to the ground. "Alright, Typhlosion! You rock, and you rule!" Jimmy shouted his trademark celebration.

Ash recalled Talonflame back to its Pokeball. "I'm sorry, Talonflame. That was my mistake. Take a good rest."

"Your Jimmy is pretty strong, too," Serena commented. "He and Ash seem a lot alike, if you ask me." Marina nodded in agreement.

The battle raged on. Ash's Hawlucha had lost to Jimmy's Typhlosion. Afterward, Jimmy recalled Typhlosion. Ash used Charizard next, who easily defeated Jimmy's Sandslash but then lost to Jimmy's Azumarill. Pikachu made short work of Azumarill, then took a rest while Noivern battled Jimmy's Pidgeot. Both of the Flying-type Pokemon ended up tying, knocking each other out upon their last contact. Now, Ash was about to send out Greninja.

Serena jumped up from shock as one of her Pokeballs suddenly burst open. Braixen appeared in a flash of white light, apparently wanting to watch Greninja battle. Serena smiled, understanding her Pokemon's feelings.

"You know what they say," Marina said. "The feelings that trainer's Pokemon have for each other supposedly mirror the relationship between the trainer's themselves. It seems to me like your Braixen is enamored by Ash's Greninja, which quite accurately reflects your feelings for him," she explained with a smile, chuckling.

Braixen would have blushed, but she was too concentrated on watching the battle to hear. Greninja had just used Water Shuriken and had successfully hit Jimmy's Ursaring. Braixen cheered, seeming to enjoy the battle a lot.

"Okay, Ursaring, Greninja's pretty fast, so we've gotta focus on landing a hit," Jimmy shouted. _We just gotta wait for the right moment,_ he thought.

Ash stuck his arm out, shouting, "Greninja, let's get close and use Aerial Ace!"

Greninja dashed forth with incredible speed, preparing to attack as it ran.

Jimmy smiled, "Now! Ursaring, use Slash while Greninja is close!"

Ash grinned. "Not so fast! You didn't think I would go in without a plan, would you?"

"Wait, what?" Jimmy gasped.

"Double Team, Greninja! Let's see if Ursaring can figure us out!" Ash commanded.

Greninja multiplied itself into a few dozen copies. "Now use Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled. In complete unison, Greninja and its copies all launched several blue projectiles towards Ursaring. Panicking, Ursaring slashed about wildly, swiping at the attack. But the real Greninja knew how to aim, and so the real shurikens struck Ursaring right in the back of the head, knocking it forward. Ursaring lay on its stomach, helpless.

"Finish it with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered. Greninja nodded and leaped into the air, performing a perfect Aerial Ace attack with style and grace, slamming into Ursaring's back, knocking it out.

Braixen cheered again, her eyes gleaming with adoration. Serena and Marina both smiled at the love-struck Pokemon. Serena looked out into the battlefield, noticing that each trainer was now down to their final Pokemon. Typhlosion and Pikachu stood face to face.

Marina spoke up, "You know, I have a feeling Ash has traveled to many places. Is that true?" she asked.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, he's been to so many different regions before I met him here...he was born in Kanto, then he went to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and now he's here. I think it's really amazing how adventurous he is."

"Jimmy and I have been to a few regions together. We both started our journey's in Johto, but we didn't exactly travel together back then. We would just happen to meet up on occasion. This one time, we saved a legendary Raikou from Team Rocket! It was after that incident when Jimmy confessed his feelings for me. And from that point on, we've traveled together. Do you think you'll keep traveling with Ash after the league?" Marina asked.

Serena looked down. "See...I don't know...I'm planning on entering the final showcase competition for the title of Kalos Queen...it's tomorrow," she said, melancholy in her voice.

Marina's eyes lit up at the mention of Kalos Queen. "Oh, wow, that must be so exciting! I always wanted to be the best model in the Johto region..." she said, a faraway look in her eyes. Her smile turned into a slight frown. "But then I learned that Jimmy was going to be leaving the Johto region...so I left my dream behind to travel with him. Looking back on it, I know I made the right choice. Jimmy needs me, and more importantly, I need him," she chuckled. "I figured I could become a model anytime, but my time with Jimmy...while we're still so young...is precious to me. And I didn't want it to end...so I chose Jimmy over modeling."

Serena looked at Marina, touched by her story. "I-I'm not sure if I could leave my dream behind...because my dream involves mainly my Pokemon and I wouldn't want to let them down..." Serena said, thinking deeply about this. "But I would really like to keep traveling with Ash..." she gripped her hands into fists. "I just don't know what to do!" she said in a raised voice.

They were interrupted by the loud cheering of the crowd. "And that's it, folks! Typhlosion is unable to battle, so Pikachu is the winner! This means that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will advance to the next round!"

Serena stood up and clapped for Ash. Then she turned to Marina, who looked slightly disappointed. "I'll think about it long and hard...and thank you so much for the advice, Marina," Serena said.

Marina nodded. "No problem, Serena. I just love witnessing young love," she said with a wink. "I think I'm gonna go find Jimmy now, he's probably all upset. Take care!" she said as she ran off. Serena waved and walked out of the stands, looking for a place where she could think by herself.

Ash and the others were celebrating the victory outside. "Alright, Pikachu, let's keep going and win!" he cheered, excited as usual.

Clemont and Bonnie were commenting on the fantastic battle when Ash suddenly stopped and looked around. "Hey, where's Serena?" he asked, turning his head in all directions, a look of concern on his face.

Just then, Jimmy and Marina walked up to them. "Hey Ash, just wanted to congratulate you on your win and wish you luck with the rest of the tournament!" Jimmy said, a big smile on his face. He was a good sport.

Ash grinned and shook Jimmy's hand. "Thanks, Jimmy. You gave me a really tough match. It could've gone either way, to be honest," he said.

Marina looked around. "So where's your girlfri-"

"Oh, beautiful blue-haired girl, would you please accept the privilege of taking care of my brother? He may not look like much, but he's a great inventor, and he also owns the Lumiose City Gym!" Bonnie was down on one knee in front of Marina.

Marina blushed and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, um, I'm sorry, I'm kind of taken," she said, taking a step back from Bonnie.

The Aipom arm came swooping down on Bonnie as Clemont carried her off. "How many times have I told you, I'll get a girlfriend when I'm old enough!" Clemont shouted, exasperated.

The other three laughed as they watched the two siblings run off. Marina turned to Ash. "Uh, as I was saying...where's your girlfriend?" she asked teasingly.

Ash blushed and put his hands up defensively. "Uh, ha ha, you've got the wrong idea. Serena and I are just friends," he said. Jimmy grinned.

"I see, so you're still in denial, Ash. Ah, give it time. You'll come around eventually," he said with a thumbs-up.

Marina chimed in, "Well I think you should go look for her. There might be something wrong," she said, trying not to reveal too much.

Jimmy looked at her, confused. "Hey now, since when did you-" he was cut off by Marina, who hastily grabbed his arm and started walking away, waving good-bye to Ash. "See you later, Ash!" she said.

Ash was confused, but decided not to think much about it. He started searching for Serena. He eventually found himself in the woods, since he couldn't find her anywhere around the stadium.

Serena was sitting on a rock next to a large pond. She was thinking about what Marina had said, and what she wanted for herself. _Choosing is hard,_ she thought. _I love being a Pokemon Performer...but I also really want to travel with Ash..._

A voice behind her startled her. "Serena! Why'd you run off here?" Serena turned around and saw Ash, who seemed like he had been running. She tried to force a smile as she said, "Oh, I just...wanted to think to myself a little..." she looked down.

Ash walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I can tell something's wrong. Why don't you tell me?" he asked, a sympathetic smile on his face.

She looked up, a tear starting to form on the edge of her eyelid. She quickly looked back down, embarrassed and not wanting Ash to see her cry. _Okay, Serena,_ she thought to herself. _I think it's time you told him._ After a few moments, she turned to face him. She looked him in the eyes; she could've stayed there for an eternity, just starting deeply into those beautiful eyes of his. "Ash..." she started, her voice shaking ever so slightly, "I-I have a lot to tell you...and I hope you'll be willing to listen to all of it..." she said, looking back down.

Ash nodded understandingly and sat down next to her. Close. They were both silent for a few seconds. Then he looked at her and smiled. He figured he knew what this was about. He blushed a little as he said, "You know, Serena...I have a lot to tell you, too...and I think it's about time I finally said it."

...And that's the end of the chapter. You guys can probably tell I'm sort of rushing this...I just really didn't like the way it panned out. Please review, however, it really means a lot to me. And as I've mentioned before, I'll be releasing an epilogue to officially conclude this story. Thanks for reading, hope I didn't disappoint any of you too much!


	10. Chapter 10: A Promise

Chapter 10: A Promise

Ash arrived at the airport just barely in time to catch the plane leaving for Kanto. He was out of breath by the time he made it to the gate, and dragged his feet behind him as he slowly walked into the cabin, taking his seat next to a window. Despite his defeat in the semifinals of the Kalos League, Ash was in a great mood. He was ready to go home and share all the stories of his adventures in the Kalos region. He made plans to visit Misty and Brock; and Professor Oak, of course. He was going home.

Serena bowed her head and did a curtsy in front of the cheering crowd. Shauna and Aria stood behind her, all three of them waving. The three Pokemon performers had put on a fantastic show at the final showcase competition, and they all smiled as they looked into the crowd. But the one with the proudest smile was Serena, wearing the Kalos Queen tiara on her head. She wished Ash could have stayed for the ceremony, but his flight had been rescheduled and he barely had time to even watch the show itself.

Clemont and Bonnie were back at home with their father, the masked Mega Blaziken hero. They were eating dinner while watching the ceremony. Bonnie's eyes were gleaming with adoration as she looked at Aria, Shauna, and Serena, all three of them looking their very best. Clemont seemed disinterested, he was more focused on some automatic utensil thing that he was working on. He was, of course, very happy for Serena, though.

"Man, Pikachu. Kalos was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" Ash said to his partner, patting its head affectionately. Pikachu agreed, "Pika pika pi!"

Ash looked out the window as the plane began to take off. He watched as the airport quickly disappeared as the plane flew higher and higher. After a few minutes, he could make out the colossal structure of Prism Tower. _That takes me back,_ he thought. _It seems like so long ago when I was up there trying to save Garchomp..._

Palermo smiled at Serena, which was a rare sight to see. Usually Palermo had a straight face, without showing any emotion. But it touched her, seeing this young star grow in terms of her ability to persevere even in the most difficult of times. She had been wrong way back then; she had thought there would never be another Kalos Queen as fantastic as Aria was. But here she was, handing Serena a trophy of recognition...the same girl who had cried on the dock after her Fennekin had tripped right on stage. Serena was really something else.

 _It'll be great to see mom and Mr. Mime back at the house,_ Ash thought. _And maybe if Gary's in town, we can have a battle! I'd love to see how much stronger he's gotten, even though I know he's focused on research. He will always still be my rival._ Ash looked down and noticed that Pikachu had fallen asleep in his lap. He stroked Pikachu's fur softly and looked out the window. He saw a cloud that kind of looked like a Froakie. That reminded him of Greninja.

After the ceremony finally ended, Serena headed outside back to the spot where she and Ash had talked before. She sat down on the same rock, in the same spot. She released Braixen and Greninja from their Pokeballs. The two Pokemon they decided to go for a walk, leaving Serena by herself. She smiled as she watched the two lovebirds walk off into the woods.

 _To think...that Ash was actually able to admit his feelings..._ she thought. _I remember it like it was yesterday..._ then she blushed to herself as she realized that it actually had happened yesterday. She replayed parts of the conversation in her head, the parts that she really liked.

" _Ash...I've been holding back a big secret from you all these months that we've been traveling together..."_ she had started. All the doubt and second thoughts she had about telling him were completely gone now. She had decided that she _had_ to tell him...no matter what.

" _What is it, Serena?"_ Ash had replied. I knew I had his undivided attention, and he even seemed a little concerned. There was no turning back at that point.

" _Well...it's kind of embarrassing...I'm not sure if you want to know..."_ she was sort of teasing him, trying to see just how much Ash cared.

Of course, his reaction had made her smile. _"No, c'mon, Serena! I wanna know!"_ he had said, looking her straight in the eyes now.

Serena blushed, looking away for a moment. _"Okay. Well, you see...ever since I met you that day in the woods, when we were just little kids...I've really, really liked you and I haven't had the courage to say it up until now..."_

Ash had just stared at her, his face showing that he was surprised. _"Serena...I..."_ he had looked down, and Serena could tell that he had been blushing. Then he had chuckled. _"I guess I was just too focused on my Pokemon to realize...that's kind of embarrassing,"_ he said, rubbing underneath his nose. _"The truth is, I've always really cared about you, Serena...and I really appreciated all that you've done for me. I mean, you've supported me more than anyone else I've ever traveled with. And...I've actually been wanting to ask if you wanted to keep traveling with me...maybe I could show you my home region, and-"_

Serena had cut him off, which was probably a little rude but it was sort of necessary. " _You see, Ash...that's what I've been thinking about lately..."_

" _You have?"_ Again, Ash had seemed surprised.

Serena blushed. _"Well, yeah of course...I've been dreading the day when you leave for home and I had been planning on asking to go with you..."_ she had paused for a moment and took out a Pokeball. _"But...I realized that as much as I want to stay with you...I need to follow my dream...when I first left home, it was for none other reason than to see you...which was great, even though you didn't remember me at first,"_ she had smiled as she spoke to let Ash know that she was only teasing.

" _Yeahhh, sorry again about that,"_ Ash had replied.

" _But now, I know that I have to try to become Kalos Queen...my Pokemon and I have been working so hard for this, and it's really important to me...I hope you understand..."_ Serena looked at Ash worriedly.

Ash had simply smiled at her, his eyes full of understanding and compassion. _"Of course I get it, Serena. After all, I wouldn't wanna be the reason you left your dream behind. I just_ know _you're gonna be Kalos Queen; I'm sure of it! You're a really amazing performer, better than Shauna and that girl Aria."_

Serena responded by planting an affectionate kiss on his cheek, something she had been wanting to do for months. Surprised, Ash had immediately blushed more than she had ever seen him before. Then they embraced each other, just silently enjoying the other's presence. Afterward, Ash had decided to leave Greninja in Serena's care when he left for Kanto. He could tell that Greninja really wanted to be with Braixen, which he understood completely. This was also a reminder of their agreement: One day, Ash would come back for Serena. They didn't know exactly when; it could be Ash's next journey, or the one after that, or maybe she'll just visit Kanto for a while. Whatever it was, and wherever Ash went, eventually he was going to be with Serena again. He had promised this before he had left.

– –

Ash woke up from a nap, his head uncomfortably leaning against the wall of the cabin. He looked out the plane window again and saw a few Pidgeotto and Fearow flying amongst the clouds. He smiled. He was almost home. He felt a pang of sadness when he remembered that he wouldn't see Serena for a while, but he quickly shook it off. _Wait for me, Serena,_ he thought. _I'll be coming back soon._

Serena lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a long day. Being Kalos Queen attracted a lot of attention from the media, and of course, the boys as well. But she only had one boy on her mind, and to her he was the most amazing person she had ever met. _Ash,_ she thought. _When we meet again, I will never, ever leave your side..._

"Mom, I'm home!" Ash shouted, opening the door to his house. Mr. Mime was there to greet him, smiling and waving its arms in excitement. Delia Ketchum came down from upstairs and he gave her a hug.

"Ash, you're finally back home again. How was your journey in, honey? You remembered to change your underwear, right?" Ash's mom joked.

Ash exclaimed, "Oh, it was great, Mom! I lost in the semifinals of the league, but still...I think it was my best adventure yet!"

His mom smiled. _I'm so proud of him,_ she thought. "Hey, you know what they say about Kalos...that it's the region of love. So, did you meet any girls?" she teased.

Ash smiled and blushed, scratching the back of his head as he looked at the floor. He knew that he had quite a long story to tell. "Well...you see..."

"So, Serena...you never did tell me. Why did you exactly leave for your journey? It was so sudden...and you hadn't shown much interest in Pokemon before," Grace Yvonne asked.

Serena blushed and looked over at the T.V. "Well, remember that live news story about the Garchomp and Ash?" she asked. "Well...see I recognized Ash from that camp back in Kanto, and I guess I just really wanted to see him." She took out Ash's handkerchief. It would always be a symbol of their relationship, whatever it was, in her heart.

Grace nodded and smiled. She had been suspecting that Ash had had something to do with Serena leaving. Now she looked at her daughter, and she seemed...different. She was Kalos Queen, of course, so that was a contributing factor. But she knew that Ash had some sort of influence over Serena that made Serena into a better person. "Ah, I see. Of course. My goodness, I was so frightened for that brave boy when I saw him jump off the tower. Ash is really something else, isn't he? I don't think you'll ever meet anyone quite like him, Serena. You're very lucky, you know," she said as she took a sip from her cup.

Serena looked out the window and smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I really am."

The End.

– – – –

Good ending? Bad ending? Disappointing? Let me know in the reviews! Like I've mentioned before, this is my first story ever, so it's not the greatest. But in the future I plan on writing another Amourshipping story, and I hope for it to be my best story yet. In the meantime, stay tuned for my Pearlshipping story. Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading, especially all of you who read every single chapter and gave me advice and criticism, it really helped me and I enjoyed writing because of it. I apologize if this story wasn't what you wanted it to be, but hey; all the more reason to review, right? And don't be afraid to hit that 'favorite' button while you're at it! :) Thanks again!


	11. Chapter 11: Distance

Surprise! I've decided on a whim to write a couple more chapters for this story. In hindsight, this story wasn't so great...unorganized, rushed, and relatively short. However, I'm gonna try and compensate for its flaws by writing a more satisfactory ending for you all. Anyways...for those of you who were disappointed with the ending or wished for a sequel...enjoy :)

\- MegazardXY

Chapter 11: Distance

~ Vaniville Town ~

"You look so beautiful, Serena."

Serena beamed at Grace's praise, modestly admiring herself in the mirror. She twirled, lifted up the edge of her dress, and ran her fingers down her long, honey-blonde hair. She was one of the highest-ranking performers in all of Kalos now, a dream she had been striving to achieve for three years. She had lost last year's final competition, but despite this her mother continued to provide unending support, like any loving mother would.

And Serena showed no less determination.

She kept thinking back to her first win, the first time she had ever competed in the Master Class Final. What really stood out to her was the fact that back then, she had had Ash by her side the whole way.

She sighed and looked down. She and Ash still kept in touch quite frequently, after all it was difficult not to after they had each confessed their feelings for one another. In fact, they talked over the phone pretty much every week. Ash would rave about how he was busy roaming the vast world of Pokemon. He was constantly meeting new friends and Pokemon along the way, battling countless trainers, Gym Leaders, and new bad guys, too. He also still had to keep Team Rocket in check, but that was nothing new.

Recently, Serena felt that her end of their conversations seemed to almost always be somewhat lackluster in comparison to what Ash had to say. Ash was so...lively, enthusiastic, and inspiring. There was always something incredibly exciting going on in his life, whether it was related to himself or his Pokemon or his traveling companions. While Serena still hung out with her friends and practiced for her Showcases, she missed traveling with him.

"Serena?"

Serena suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and returned her attention to her mother, who wore a concerned look on her face. "Everything okay, sweetie?" Grace asked her daughter.

Nodding, Serena began to change back into her normal clothes. "Of course, mom! I'm just fine," she said reassuringly, although lately she had definitely been far from fine.

 _Is this...what I really want?_ she wondered to herself. _I've been working so diligently to live the life of a performer...and yet I'm still not quite as happy as I thought I would be._ She shook away those depressing thoughts and dressed to go out. Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno all wanted to meet up in Lumiose for lunch, something she couldn't say no to.

– –

~ Viridian City ~

Excited and enthusiastic as usual, Ash was at the Viridian City airport, boarding a flight to the Unova region. Like always, Pikachu was in high spirits as he sat on his trainer's shoulder.

"Pikachu, this time we're gonna win it all, right buddy?" Ash said, petting his partner's little head. Pikachu responded in the affirmative, mimicking his trainer's confidence and passionate desire for battle. "Pika pika!"

Ash suddenly heard his Holo Caster ringing. He rolled his eyes, knowing full well who it was before he even picked it up. Ever since he had come home after traveling in Kalos, his mom had been intrigued by his Holo Caster and begged to have one herself. Now, she called him almost every day.

He answered up the call. _Probably asking if I remembered to bring underwear,_ he thought to himself. "Yeah mom?" he asked.

"ASH KETCHUM!"

Ash nearly dropped his Holo Caster in shock. _Uh oh,_ he thought. _What did I do?_

"Just where do you think you're going?" she demanded. "You left this morning without saying good-bye!"

He rolled his eyes. "Uh...mom. The Pokemon World Tournament? The Junior Cup? Remember that? It's tomorrow. I already told you, I'm getting on a plane tonight to head over to Unova. I haven't seen Iris and Cilan in forever, not to mention it'd be cool to see Trip and Cameron there and see how they've improved. How could you forget about this? I told you like a thousand times and I said good-bye before I went to bed just in case you were sleeping in the morning, which you were..." he said.

"I didn't forget, actually, I was just hoping you would remember to fulfill a promise you made a while back. It looks like you've disappointed me," Delia said, sighing heavily from exasperation. _He is so impulsive, he just can't stop thinking about Pokemon,_ she thought to herself. _Just like his father..._

Now Ash was confused. "Wait...huh?" he asked.

"Remember last year when Serena called and asked if you could come to see her final showcase competition?" Delia asked, her voice somewhat calmer than it had been a few seconds ago.

The mention of Serena caught Ash off-guard. He nodded and said, "Yeah, I told her I couldn't go. Which I couldn't...you know I was busy. I was able to watch her on television, and she said she was fine with that."

Delia rolled her eyes. "And you just completely forgot about how you promised, yes, promised, her that you would come see the final one this year?"

Ash felt a lump form in his throat. He _had_ completely forgotten. He had been so focused on the Junior Cup that he forgot that the final showcase competition in Kalos was coming up. "Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was thin-"

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Serena when you make it to the Kalos region," Delia said.

"Mom, I can't just back out of the Junior Cup now, and plus I can't just randomly find a new flight to Kalos. I'll try to see if I can watch her on T.V. while I'm there," Ash said, desperately trying to fix the situation as best he could.

There was a pause before Delia said, "Ash, honey...I understand that your dream is very important to you...you're so driven and passionate and it just makes me so proud. Oh, maybe you'll understand when you're a bit older...but honey, have you ever stopped to think about Serena and how much she cares about you? Have you ever thought about _her_ dream, and that she might just need your support to achieve it?

 ***click***

Before Ash could respond, Delia had hung up.

– –

~ Lumiose City ~

"So, Serena, you think Aria will make for as good competition as she did last year?" Tierno asked, trying to make conversation. Serena had been relatively quiet ever since they had sat down, and Trevor was busy fiddling with his camera. Shauna was giddy with excitement about the showcase and could not stop talking about the dress she was planning to wear.

Serena twirled her spaghetti with her fork repeatedly without any intention of eating it. "Yeah, probably. She's always putting on a beautiful performance, and she's so pretty, too..." her voice trailed off. She could've talked more about it, but she wasn't in the mood.

Shauna suddenly noticed that Serena seemed to be really out of it. "Hey, Serena...what's the matter?" she asked, concerned for her friendly rival. She had a hunch she knew what this was about, but refrained from saying anything until she knew she for sure.

Serena thought about telling her everything, everything from the day she first met Ash at summer camp to the day Ash confessed his feelings for her. She thought about it...then decided she didn't want to distract herself (or Shauna for that matter) from the showcase. The two of them both needed to focus in order to beat Aria.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just kinda tired; didn't get much sleep last night. Anyways, I think my mom wants me home soon, so I should get going," Serena said as she stood up to leave, her evasive demeanor obvious to Shauna and even Tierno, who was typically oblivious to such matters.

Despite the fact that she knew something was up, Shauna thought it best to keep quiet. It was evident that Serena didn't want to talk about whatever it was. _It's gotta be Ash,_ she thought.

– –

Three hours into the plane ride to Unova, Ash found himself staring out the window in deep thought, something he didn't typically find himself doing often. Usually, he was concocting new battle strategies, or thinking of what Pokemon his team was weak against, or thinking of how to beat such Pokemon.

But now, all he could think of was Serena.

– – – –


	12. Author's Note

Hey, guys, I have some unfortunate news...

Rather than just leave this story unfinished without a word (like some writers on here are known for doing) I am going to be straight-up honest with you all.

I'm very sorry to say that I've lost motivation for writing. Although I have very little free time, I always find other ways to spend it because I simply have lost interest in continuing this story. Part of it is because there aren't that many people following it, and from what little reviews I get, I get the sense that the story isn't a very impressionable read.

That being said, I have an option I would like to propose to you all, the readers I am so thankful to have...

I understand how frustrating it is to read a story without knowing its ending. However, if ANYONE would like to write their OWN final chapter/chapters for this story, I will gladly accept the chapters by email (kickass4586 ) and upload them here. I will give you credit for your writing, of course; I'm not trying to claim it as my own. I will make it clear that the chapters are not written by me and will credit the writer who submitted them to me.

I'm not exactly sure if anyone even wants to do this, but just in case there are more than one of you out there: Don't rush to finish this just so you can submit it first. I will be selecting the writing I believe to be the best fit for this story, and I will be making that decision about a month from now, just so anyone can have the opportunity and time to do what they would like.

Thank you all for reading this, and I am SO sorry I could not deliver for you all. Again, my email is kickass4586

My email is a gmail account, for some reason it won't let me type the 'at' symbol with gmail


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